The Erica Assignment
by aFanFicGurl
Summary: Heather has a younger sister, who is not at all like her. One day, when she got into trouble, she finds out about the so called "Dragon Conquerer" and decides to look to see if he can really control dragons. This would take place before the episode "Heather Report 1 " and it's probably the reason Heather and her parents ended up in Alvin's hands.
1. Normal Peaceful Day, Right?

Chapter 1: Normal Peaceful Day, Right?

**I came up with the idea of Heather having a sister a while ago, but didn't have time to work on it. At least, not until now. This is my first fanfic and I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any mistakes I might make.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the _Rider of Berk _contents, except my OCs.**

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"So close," I whispered to myself. I walked up to the tall pine tree and pulled my axe out. I was practicing my aim out in the forest, alone, like usually. I walked a few feet from the tree, took a deep breathe of the forest air, and threw the axe. This time the axe hit the center of my hand drawn charcoal target. "Yes!" I shouted with a big grin on my face.

I heard footsteps close by and froze. After a few minutes of not moving, the footsteps faded away.

"Phew," I let out sigh. "That was close. I have to be more careful. If I get caught, I'll be a huge amount of trouble." I reminded myself.

I walked over to the tree, once more and pulled the axe out. I walked away from the tall Pine, a little further than before, and threw the axe as hard as I could. The axe flew threw the air and into the trunk. It hit the center of the target again.

"Yes, I'm getting better." I whispered to no one in particular. I couldn't help smiling at my improvements.

I walked over to the poor, tree with my axe wedged in. I pulled on my axe with one hand, but it wouldn't budge. My smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. I placed both of my small hands on the wooden handle and pulled with all my strength. I kept pulling and pulling, until it came out.

I was thrown backwards, onto the dirt floor. I lifted my body of the floor and dusted my skirt off.

I leaned against the tree, with my axe still in hand. I looked down at my boots and sighed. I stood up straight and blew my black bangs out of my face. I was about to throw my axe back at the tree, when I heard I loud roar close by. I looked up and saw birds flying off in the distance.

'Dragon,' was my first thought. Like other Vikings, I tightened my grip on my axe and ran towards the roar. I was too caught up on looking for the dragon that I didn't notice a tree root sticking out of the dirt and tripped on it. I cursed under my breath and I quickly pick myself and my axe up.

I arrived in a clear, open grassy meadow, when I saw a Monstrous Nightmare. I stopped and stared in awe. I noticed its scales were a deep purple and it had long claws.

I dodged behind a tree when I saw three Vikings attacking the beast. I hid, hoping they wouldn't see me. I peaked at the scene and noticed they were to busy battling the dragon.

I stared in awe at how they were attacking with no fear. I always hoped that I would someday be out there, slaughtering the dragons that attacked our peaceful village.

I leaned in closer and tried to make out the faces of the three men. I noticed the one of the Vikings was my father's friend named Egil. Another one of the group if men was named Helge. I struggled to see the last one's face. I squinted my eyes and realized it was...my dad!

I quickly pulled myself against the bark. 'Oh no,' I thought. If my father saw me here he would blow a fuse. I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible without being seen.

I looked back to see them occupied with the dragon and started dodging between the trees, back to the village, but something caught my eye.

The Monstrous Nightmare had set itself on fire. The three Vikings backed away from the fire coated beast. The dragon's eyes gleamed with pleasure of the men's fear. If it could smile, I bet it was smiling now. It slowly started crawling towards my dad.

My father stood firm and I knew he wouldn't back away. My father is usually a calm man, except when it came to dealing with threats. Just like the rest of our tribe.

He charged at the beast, with his sword in one hand and his shield in the other. Unfortunately, the beast dodged the swings of the sword and with its snout, it knocked the sword out of his hand. The dragon let out a deep growl and advanced towards my dad.

My dad shielded his body and backed away from the dragon. He stopped shortly when his back was against a tree. I saw fear in his eyes.

I looked at the other Vikings, which were throwing rocks at it to lure it away. Too bad the rocks were nothing to the dragon.

I turned my attention back to the dragon and my dad. My father's face was smeared with mud and sweat rolled down his forehead. He continued to cover himself with the shield.

The dragon started to grow bored. His fire covered body seemed to die down. To create a little, excitement it crawled up to my dad and flung the shield with its tail.

The shield landed near my feet. I looked at it and then at my father. He stood there, while the deep purple beast opened its mouth.

'What should I do?' I thought, biting my lip nervously. I looked at the shield and back at my dad. I looked back and forth several times. I didn't know what to do, but I had to make up my mind up soon.

I had two choices. One was to run back village and not see my own father get killed. Or...

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**So, what did you think for the first chapter? Did you like it or not? Please remember to review. It is very well appreciated by me.**

**Now, I'll try to update every day since it summer and I don't start school for a while. **


	2. To Flee Or Not to Flee

Chapter 2: To Flee Or Not To Flee

**Not bad for the first chapter. **

**Anyways, I'm back with the second chapter for all you readers. Enjoy :)**

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An idea on how to lure the dragon away from my father came to me. It was crazy but I had to at least try it. I knew I would probably regret showing myself later, but that didn't matter at the moment. I walked out of behind the pine and up to the shield lying on the floor. I hesitated, before picking up the shield.

I doubted that my plan would succeed, but I at least had to give it a try. It better than watching my father burned to death.

I glanced at my father, his expression filled with fear. Seeing my father's face made me tighten my grip on the shield.

"HEY LIZARD BREATH!" I shouted, my voice firm.

The dragon turned towards the sound of my voice and so did the other Vikings. The monstrous beast let out a deep growl and its eyes gleamed with anger.

I don't think it liked its new nickname I gave it.

It started crawling towards me, completely forgetting about my father.

'Good.' I thought. 'Now for the next step.'

I glanced at him to see if he was safe. I saw his face was filled with surprise. The other Vikings stood like statues, with the same expressions on their faces.

I ignored the looks, and focused on the huge, deep purple-scaled, Monstrous Nightmare heading my way. I stood there, waiting for the right moment to put next step into action.

'Hope this works.' I prayed.

When the beast was several yards away, I pushed my bangs away and tightened my grip on the shield. I threw it towards the monster with all my might. I wanted to cover my eyes and not witness my failure. But instead, I stood there hoping everything would turn out fine.

To my surprise, the shield hit the dragon on the horn.

It stopped dead in its tracks and fell with a loud thud. The ground shook, as if an earthquake had occurred.

The dragon laid on the forest floor. It didn't move and for some reason, I just wished I didn't hurt too bad it or kill it. It was weird that I felt bad for doing that. Most Vikings would have not hesitated to kill.

In my mind, I congratulated myself for my quick thinking and aim. Although, the stares made the Viking's stares ended my happiness.

Their stares changed from surprised looks to angry ones. They didn't seemed very pleased to be outwitted by a small teenage girl.

I let out an angry sigh and allowed my bangs to cover my face. I had already known I would regret this, but that didn't change the fact that I wouldn't get into deep trouble.

I tugged at my braids, waiting for the yells to begin.

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**I know it was kind of lame and please excuse me for that. That was all I could come up with. I still hope you enjoyed the chapter, but sorry that it was short. Please forgive me for that as well. I promise to make the future chapters a lot longer.**

**Okay, until next time. Peace :)**


	3. Only the Gods Could Help Me Out

Chapter 3: Only the Gods Could Help Me Out

My father didn't say a word while we walked back to the village. I guess he didn't want to create any drama out in public, but I knew once we were home, he would lash out.

He closed the door behind him and hung his shield on the wall. He quietly put away his sword as well. He was avoiding my gaze and I knew nothing good was going to happen.

My father was usually a quiet man, but when it came to me, he became the most furious Viking ever. Maybe because of all the trouble I would cause. But it isn't my fault I crave adventure.

We were all alone in our house, just us two. My mother and sister were probably somewhere in the village.

"What do you think you were doing?'' my father asked, still avoiding my gaze. He was trying to keep calm, but we both knew it wouldn't last.

"I was trying to help," I murmured, looking down at the floor.

"Help? Erica, y-you could have been killed."

"Well, you were about to be." I said as calmly as I could. I looked at him, his eyes showing the fear from earlier. He was remembering what had happened earlier.

"That's different." he replied.

"No, it's not." I frowned.

I heard him sigh and whisper to himself, "This wouldn't have happened if you were here in the village."

"So you're blaming me now?"

"I'm not blaming the dragon, am I?" he said sarcastically.

"Wha-" I couldn't believe he was blaming me for what happened. And after I helped him live. Unbelievable. " You know, I'm not the one who wanted to go out and fight dragons, knowing that there was a chance of getting killed. It's your own fault, not mine." I couldn't contain my anger anymore. "This is just perfect, I help you live and I don't even get a thank you." I murmured.

"Thank you, okay? Happy now?"

'Not really,' I wanted to say out loud. Instead, I kept quiet.

"Still, what do think you were trying to do? Were you trying to get killed, because what you did was dangerous. You shouldn't have done that."

"What was I supposed to do then? Huh? Just stand there, while my father was burned to crisp, and the other Viking do nothing to help."

"No, you weren't supposed to even be there. You were supposed to be training in the arena with the other teenagers. What were doing out in the forest?" he asked, his arms crossed across his chest.

I bit my lip. 'The jig is up,' I thought. I looked down at my feet, not sure whether to tell him.

"Are you going to answer?"

"I was target practicing with my axe." I sighed.

"Then where is your axe?" he asked, crossing his arms.

That's when I realized I didn't have my axe with me. I remembered I left it behind the tree I was hiding behind of. 'Great, just great.' I thought and let out an angry huff.

"I left it behind." I answered glumly.

My father shook his head, clearly not believing me.

"Erica-" he started, when he was interrupted by the closing of the front door. My mother and sister, Heather, walked in carrying baskets of fish. They walked to the kitchen, set the fish on the table, and rushed straight to their rooms, not wanting to get included in our discussion. "tell me the truth, for once." he continued, when we were alone again.

"That is the truth. Why won't you believe me?" I asked and stormed off to my room. I don't know what came over me. Probably the fact that I always got in trouble. Or that when I told the truth, others thought I was lying. Either way, I would never get off the hook happily.


	4. This Day Keeps Getting Better

Chapter 4: This Day Keeps Getting Better

**Yay! I got more followers on this story. Thanks guys. :D Also, special thanks to Ferdoos for reviewing. It's nice knowing you're enjoying this story. Anyways, without further interruptions, here's the next chapter guys.**

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I slammed the door and sat down at my bed. I buried my face in me knees and felt my eyes fill up with tears. But I didn't let myself cry.

Heather was sitting on her bed, but once I entered, she walked over to me.

"Are you okay, Pebble?" she asked, her tone soft and comforting.

"No, not really." I looked up at her.

She gave me a warm, comforting smile and sat down next to me. She wrapped her arms around me and stroked my hair. I felt like everything was going to be fine when she did that.

She always acted very motherly toward me, even though she was only a year and a half older than I. Still, it was nice and made me feel wanted.

"What happened this time, Pebs?" she asked, still stroking my hair.

Before I had a chance to answer, my mother shouted, "Heather, could you come here please?"

"I'll be right there," she shouted back. She looked at me and said, "I'll be right back and we can talk about this later."

I nodded and she left to help my mother. My mother was probably helping my father calm down. He was probably sitting on his chair by the fireplace, with my mom standing next to him, stroking his brown hair. She would probably want Heather to prepare a tea of some sort, to help him settle down. This is what happens when I get in trouble. And this happens _a lot._

I overheard my father explaining to my mother what happened. I didn't want to hear how he told his point of view of how I lied to him. Instead, I focused on other things, like how I knocked out the Monstrous Nightmare. I had a hard time believing that I, a puny girl, did a stunt like that.

I was deep in thought, that I didn't even hear Heather walk in. That is, until she cleared her throat to get my attention.

I turned to face her and saw her face full of concern. She stood there, observing me for while. I started to feel uncomfortable and spoke up.

"You heard what happened, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." she said calmly, "What were you thinking, Pebble? You could have gotten hurt. Or worse, killed."

'Great more arguing.' I thought.

"You're starting to sound like dad now. And I tell you the same thing I told him, 'I was trying to help.'"

"Still, you shouldn't have lied to him Pebs."

"What?" I asked. "I didn't lie to him. I told him the truth, but he refused to believe me." My voice started breaking, "Heather, you know I go out into woods to practice or just for a walk when I get bored here."

She nodded and said, "Yes, I know." There was a long pause before she said," Look Pebble, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"It's alright, but you're not the one who needs to apologize." I said and gave her a weak smile.

She walked over to me and sat down on my bed. Then someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," we said together.

My mother walked in and said in a quiet voice, "Heather, would you mind giving us a minute alone."

"Not at all." she replied and left the room.

My mother walked over to me. I was looking at the floor, wishing this could all be over. She lifted my chin, so I would meet her gaze. We exchanged weak smiles and tear-filled eyes.

"Erica, I know you don't want to talk about what happened today, anymore, so I'll make it simple. Your father and I discussed earlier and decided what your punishment would be. You're grounded for a week. That includes not being able to leave the village, without someone's supervision."

"What? No, mom please don't do this to me." I begged. I can't believe they were taking the one thing that I enjoyed doing everyday. Going out to explore the island, by myself, without anyone holding me back. It was the one thing that made me happy.

"I'm sorry, darling." she said and patted my shoulder. "You know, this wouldn't have happened if you followed the rules. Why can't you be more like you're sister, Heather." With that she left and I was alone in my room.

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**Just to let you readers know. 'Pebble' is a nickname that was given to Erica by a friend, but I'll explain it later in the story.**

**Until next time. Byes :)**


	5. I'm Off to the Woods

Chapter 5: I'm Off To The Woods

'Why can't you be more like your sister, Heather?' This question has been following me around all my life. Everyone is always comparing me to her. I don't understand why, though.

We both look similar to each other. We both have dark hair like our mother. We both have bangs over our right eye. Although her bangs are neat, mine are uneven and messy. Our hairstyles are different though. She has one think braid to the left side, while I have two. Also, I wear a braided leather band on my head, unlike Heather. Another similarity is we both have pale skin.

The only difference between our faces is that I have dark brown eyes, like my father, while Heather has green eyes, like my mother.

Even though our appearances are similar, I don't think that's what others mean. It our personalities they compare. Heather is friendly to everyone she meets. She is also very obedient and sophisticated.

I, on the other hand, am daring and reckless. I can be friendly, like Heather, but I'm only like that when you're nice to me.

But what many people don't know is that Heather can be daring at times. Only when she needs to, though.

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I ignored my mother's comment and instead thought of how I would get my axe back.

That axe is very important to me because my grandmother gave it to me. She was the one who understood me, the most out of everyone here on this village. She knew how much I craved going on adventures, because she too, was a little troublemaker like myself.

She would always tell me stories of her adventures before I would have to go to sleep. I would climb up the chair and sit on her lap in front of the fireplace. She would hug me and describe the events. Her voice would lull me to sleep and the fire would warm me.

Too bad she left when I was only five years old. It was depressing for all of us, especially me. I didn't have anyone else to go on adventure with.

I decided to sneak out and that moment was the perfect time. My parents were downstairs talking and Heather was out with her friends.

I unlocked the latch on the ceiling door, which lead to the roof. I climbed out and closed it. I climbed down and made sure no one was watching.

Everyone seemed to be minding their own business, carrying on with their daily activities. Male Vikings were repairing houses, female Vikings were preparing supper, and the children were chasing each other around. Everyone seemed happy.

I couldn't help a smile from forming on my lips. Seeing everyone in a happy mood lifted my spirits.

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Most Vikings would say Rogand is a poor island because of the weather. Most of the year, there would be storms of heavy rain. This would make our soil too muddy to grow any crops. Also, livestock would have a hard time here.

Some years, we are fortunate to have a perfect amount of rainfall for crops and livestock. But most of the time we aren't. Although we manage to find a way to get food. Most of the time, it's fishing.

Fishing here is our way of surviving and everyone knows how to. Even the younger ones, who learn once they can walk.

Either way, we always try to make the best of things. No matter how bad things seem, we find a good thing to look at. It's the way we learned to live.

I turned around towards the woods. I was about to make a break for it, when someone stood in my way.

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**So Rogand is the name I made up for the island that Heather and her family come from. Took me a while to think of a name for the island, but I did it** **after scrambling the letters in dragon around. Well, you guys probably don't care about that. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Later, guys.**


	6. Friend Or Foe

Chapter 6: Friend or Foe

**Thanks for reviewing, Ferdoos. Sorry about the short chapters, I'll try to make them longer and to answer your question, soon, _very_ ****_soon_****. :) So here's another chapter, hope you enjoy it.**

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I looked up and saw my friend, Amund. He had a smirk on his face and was wearing his Viking helmet like always.

He was one of the few friends I had here. It was hard for me to make friends, since everyone was at least a year older than me. And no one wanted to be friends with the small, "weak" girl.

He is three years older than me and about a head taller than me. He is very well built and quite handsome.

I'll admit, I used to have a small crush on him. But as time went by, he started to seem like an older brother than a possible boyfriend.

_Not saying that would happen._ I mean he's three years older than I am, handsome, and strong. I'm pretty sure girls are falling for him everywhere.

So my little crush started to fade away, but I couldn't care less. It's not like anything ever happened between us. I actually liked just being friends with him.

Although, when I said I saw Amund as a brother, I meant it figuratively, but other take it literally. Some of the villagers say we can be related, since we both have black hair and dark, almost-black, eyes.

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"Hey there, Pebs." he said, smirking. He was probably trying to annoy me with the nickname he gave me.

"Hey," I greeted back.

"Where's Heather?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered, annoyed. I annoyed me how everyone wondered how Heather was doing and didn't bother to ask about me. It was like I didn't exist.

"Why? You going to try to get her attention, again?" I smirked.

"What? No, I just want to talk to her." he chuckled nervously.

"Mhm. Sure," I rolled my eyes. It was obvious he had a crush on her. He had one ever since he met her. He would always try to impress her and give her gifts to grab her attention.

Like all the other boys in the village, he had fallen for my sister. It wasn't a big surprise. My sister had a way with them. Her pretty face and grace. Things that I didn't really care about having.

"Whatever," he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

I rolled my eyes as well and asked, "You want to know something I don't understand."

"What?" he raised his brow.

"I don't understand why you keep trying to get her attention, if she seems to ignore you. I mean she could have any boy she wants, like that." I snapped my fingers. "And you can too," I wanted to add.

"Well of course, you don't understand. You're still young and foolish. Love is too complicated for you to comprehend at your age." he patted my head.

I crossed my arms. "Yea, I bet it is." I said sarcastically. "Well, I have to go now."

"Oh. Where you off to?"

"I'm going for a little walk through the forest, to look for something I forgot." I pointed at the trees behind me.

"Can I come along?" he asked.

"Um," I started. I wasn't sure if I should have let him come. I didn't want anyone knowing about this. But he was ne of my closest friends and I knew I could trust him. Also, it wouldn't hurt anyone if he came along. Plus, I needed someone to accompany me, so I wouldn't get into more trouble than I already was. "Sure, why not. But don't tell anyone about this."

"Alright," he nodded.

I made my way through the trees, with Amund trailing behind me. We walked in awkward silence, until one of us spoke up.

"So what did you forget, Pebs?"

"My axe." I said, flatly.

"How can you forget your axe?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere, other than with you."

I nodded and started describing the event that happened over an hour ago. I told him how I was practicing, when I heard a dragon's roar. How I hesitated before I tried to help my father, after I saw the Monstrous Nightmare about to attack my dad. How I threw the shield at the dragon and the surprised angry faces staring at me afterwards. And, finally, how my parents punished me for what happened.

Amund didn't mutter a sound, until I finished talking.

"Wow...I-I didn't know you had it in you, Pebble. On the other hand, I guess I should have expected that. After all, you have done some pretty crazy things throughout the time I've known you." He smiled and I smiled back.

I took this as a compliment and blushed slightly. I don't usually receive compliments on a daily basis.

"I have one question though. How come you didn't use your axe and kill it? Instead of knocking it unconscious?"

"Well...uh, I-" I had no response to his question. It hadn't crossed my mind. Why did I use the shield, instead of my axe. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know? How can you not know the reason for your action?"

I shrugged. I had no idea, what sort of reason laid behind my actions.

We continued walking in silence. During that time, I thought of different reasons that could be possible to make me use a shield instead of my axe. But none of them seemed right.

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**So here's another chapter for you guys. What did ya think?**

**Until tomorrow. **


	7. Amund

Chapter 7: Amund

**I decided to dedicate a chapter about Erica's friend, Amund, and how they first met. **

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I remember how I first met Amund. It was about a year and a half ago. We were in the training arena, like usually. We were training to fight dragons.

During that time, Amund was shorter and thinner. Not looking like most Vikings. The other Vikings used to make fun of him for his appearance.

_I was sitting by the wall, since all the other, "older" Vikings were using the training equipment. I was looking around, observing the techniques of others, when I saw Amund being picked on again. I sighed, tired of other teenagers always making fun of the smaller ones. and walked over to them._

_"Hey. Why don't you just leave him alone? He's not even worth your time."_

_The two Vikings whispered between themselves and left._

_I turned around and saw Amund hanging his head low. He started to walk away, when I grabbed him by the arm and asked, "Hey, you okay?"_

_"Yea, I'm fine." He said, avoiding my gaze._

_I was starting to get the feeling that I hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry for saying that. I just had to say that or else they wouldn't leave you alone. Their heads are easy to mess with."_

_He chuckled at this and a smile appeared._

_"Hi, my name is Erica. What's yours?" I stuck out my hand, waiting for him to shake it._

_He looked and said, "My name is Amund. Nice to meet you." He took me hand and shook it._

_"Want to go somewhere else to practice, since these blockheads are hogging the place up."_

_"Sure."_

_"Come on then." _

_We grabbed our axes and bolted out of there. I lead him to my "secret" training site in the woods._

_My little training site consisted of a small rectangular patch of grass. Tall pines surrounded the area, which kept it well hidden. And in one of the corners, was a lake filled with colorful fish, which a river flowed through the middle._

_"Wow," was the first word he said when we arrived._

_"You like it?"_

_"Uh, yea. So this is where you practice?"_

_"Mhm," I nodded. "I usually come here, when the other Vikings don't let me train in the arena."_

_"Oh, well they don't let me practice much either."_

_"Well, come on. Instead of talking how we don't have a chance to practice in the arena, lets practice here." I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards a tall pine tree. I took out a piece of charcoal and drew a big target on the bark. "There, now you can practice your aim with your axe."_

_He threw the axe, which landed on the edge of the target._

_"Woah," I whispered. 'You're really bad at this.' I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut._

_"I stink, don't I?"_

_"You just need more practice. That's all." I chuckled nervously. I didn't want to hurt his feeling again._

For a Viking, he had a soft side. And I like that about him, since most Vikings only cared about themselves.

_"Hey, you know what. Let's try something else," I suggested._

_"Um, okay. But what?"_

_"Uh, how about...hand to hand combat?"_

_"You sure about that."_

_"Yea, don't worry. I'll be fine."_

_"Alright," he finally gave in. _

_We walked to the middle of the small grassy field. We stood, facing each other. We circled each other for a while and I started growing bored._

_"Come on, at least try."_

_"Okay, okay."_

_He threw a punch and a dodged it. I grabbed his arm and pinned him to the floor._

_"Haha." I grinned._

_"Hey, that didn't count. I was going easy on you."_

_"Yea, mhm, whatever." I rolled my eyes._

_"Let's go again." _

_"Okay, fine." I chucked._

_I let him stand up and we started circling each other again. I threw a punch, which caused him to stumble backwards._

_"Hey! That hurt," he whined, while rubbing his arm. "You punch hard for a little girl."_

_"Thank you," I smirked._

_He continued rubbing his arm. _

_I walked up to him and apologized, "Sorry about that too." _

_"Don't worry about it. I'm just surprised a small girl can punch that hard."_

_I giggled at his compliment._

_"So how do you practice hand-to-hand combat, when there's no one else here?"_

_"I usually practice with my father or my older sister."_

_"That explains it."_

_"Hey, let me show you something." I walked to the river, Amund walking beside me._

_I sat down on the grass and dipped my hand in the water. Little guppies swam around my hand and caused me to smile. Amund sat down next to me and watched the little fish swim between my fingers._

_He pulled out something out of the water and handed me a small, wet pebble. "Here, I want you to have this."_

_"A pebble?" I asked._

_"Yea, to remind you of today."_

_"O..okay then." _

_"Do you mind if I call you "Pebble" from now on?"_

_"Uh, why?" I asked, confused._

_"Well, you seem small and harmless, but in reality, you're strong and tough. Plus, you're pretty. Like this pebble."_

_"Gee, thanks. I like being compared to rocks." I took the pebble and shoved it in my pocket. _

I kept it there ever since. I always treasured this little item.

_I smiled at what he said, except for the "pretty" thing. That was weird to me, since hardly anyone called me pretty._

_We went back to practicing. And while we were, we learned more about each other._

_By the end of the day, we agreed to a least try to do this everyday. And that's how it went._

_We'd meet up here and practice. We would practice our aim, learning to fight with all sorts of weapons, practice hand-to-hand combat, and run obstacle courses to practice for real dragon raids._

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**So that's another chapter done. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time.**


	8. I Got More Than My Axe Back

Chapter 8: I Got More Than My Axe Back

We continued walking in silence.

After a while, the scenery started to look familiar. I kept walking, until I spotted the tree I used as a target. I walked around the tree, trying to retrace my steps.

"Hey Pebble, is this were you hit the dragon?"

I was startled at the sound of his voice. For a minute, I forgot he was there with me.

"No, but we're close." I answered without looking at him.

I walked around and noticed a tree root sticking out. I remembered tripping on it and walked towards it.

"Come on, Amund. This way."

I continued running, everything coming back to me. Before I knew it, I was standing where I threw the shield at the Monstrous Nightmare. I walked over to the tree, where I was hiding, during the attack. I saw my axe lying on the floor where I left it. I bent down and picked it up. I was about run back to Amund, where ever I had left him, when I heard a pair of deep voices. No doubt that they were voices of two Vikings. I dived behind a boulder, hoping I wouldn't be spotted.

A few seconds after hiding behind the huge rock, Amund arrived.

"Pebble? Where are you? You run pretty fast for a young girl."

I grabbed his arm and pulled him down next to me. I put a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet. He nodded and we sat silently against the boulder. The voices started getting closer so we tried not to make any movements.

This is how their conversation went:

"When I went to visit my sister, she told me about a boy named 'The Dragon Conquerer'. She said that he defeated the Red Death and now he could make any dragon do his biding, with the wave of a hand."

"What? That's nonsense. No one can conquer dragons."

"Well, he can. At least, that's what I heard. In fact, the whole island was talking about him."

"That gibberish. Lies. None of that can be true."

"But it is true. Believe it or not, it's true."

"Well, I don't believe it all."

They continued walking and arguing. We sat there listening as their voices faded away.

I let out a sigh. I couldn't be seen here, although I was with someone. Still, it didn't matter.

I thought about what the Viking said. _'a boy named the Dragon Conquerer_.'

'Is it possible?' I asked myself. I was deep in thought, before Amund snapped me back to reality with his voice.

"Hey, Pebble? You alright?"

"Huh. Yea, I'm fine." I stood up and brushed off the dirt. "Come on, let's go back. It's getting dark." I grabbed my axe and started walking back to the village, with Amund walking behind me.

My mind wondered back to the Vikings' conversation. Is it true what the Viking was going on about. Was there really a person such as 'the Dragon Conquerer'?

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem awfully quiet."

"Uh, yea. I'm fine. Perfectly fine." I shot him a smile to confirm what I said. "I'm just deep in thought."

"Is it about the 'Dragon Conquerer'? Amund asked, jokingly.

"Yes," I answered in a flat tone.

His face turned serious. "You're joking, right?"

"No." I frowned, scrunching my eyebrows together.

"Pebble, think about it. A boy who can conquer dragons, doesn't exist."

"You don't know that. I mean, anything is possible." I said looking down at my axe.

"Yes, but someone that can control dragons with the wave of a hand is _not_ possible. No one ever heard of such a thing. It's complete madness."

We continued arguing whether 'the Dragon Conquerer' existed, like the pair of Vikings were earlier, all the way back to the village. And I stayed up all night wondering whether to believe it or not.

* * *

**Here's another chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoyed it. **

**Remember to review.**


	9. I Need More Information

Chapter 9: I Need More Information

I woke up, feeling groggy, the next morning. I didn't want to get up, because I was so tired. I probably shouldn't have stayed up last night, wondering about the 'Dragon Conquerer'. But I just couldn't take the subject out of my mind. I had to know more about him.

I got out of bed and did my daily routine of getting ready for the day. Once I was done, I walked around the village. I had no idea where to start looking for answers. I could have asked Amund to help me find more information, but he thought the whole thing was a joke. So that left me to do it by myself.

First, I had find out who the Viking was the one that spoke of the 'Dragon Conquerer'. I walked around, listening for the man's voice, which I heard yesterday.

An hour passed, after listening to about every male Vikings' voice, I was about to give up. I heard almost every mans' voice, but none of them were right. I was about to walk home and think about how much I fail at everything, I heard _the voice_. I crept up behind a few barrels and peeked at the man, who's voice I heard in the woods yesterday. I saw that he was my friend's dad. My friend, Haldis, and her dad were discussing something about the jobs that needed to be done. She nodded and her father walked away.

I walked up to her, trying to make it as if I were taking a stroll around the village.

"Hey there, Haldis." I said to the tall, girl, whose was two and a half years older than I.

"Hello Erica." she said, fixing her fiery hair into a tighter bun. She would always do this when she was going to train or work. She is very serious about getting the task done.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, just some small jobs around the village. Want to help?"

"Uh," This could be my chance to ask about the 'Dragon Conquerer'. "Sure."

"Alright then. Come on." I followed her to the dock. "First, we have to wait for the fishing boats to come back and then help them carry the fish to the food storage in the village."

"Sounds easy enough."

We waited about five minutes for the fishing boats to come ashore. Then we went back and forth, from the boat to the food storage, carrying piles of fish. It was tiring and smelly work, but it would be worth it. One, I would learn more information. Two, it's going to help the village.

Half an hour passed, before we finished carrying all the fish from the boat.

We walked over to Haldis's house and washed ourselves, before we moved on to our next task.

Haldis's father asked us to fetch buckets of water, so off we went. We each took two buckets and walked to the nearest stream. We filled our buckets and walked back to the village. We did several more different tasks around the village.

I was starting to grow frustrated, since I hadn't had a chance to ask Haldis what I wanted. I was about to give up on the subject, when luckily we were asked to collect wood from the forest. Finally, an opportunity to ask about the boy.

We ran to retrieve our axes and met up at the tree closest to the village. We walked into the trees and started chopping down wood.

Once we were far into the forest, I asked, "Haldis, do you know anything about a boy named, 'the Dragon Conquerer'?"

"In fact, I do. How come?"

"Well, yesterday I overheard your father talking to another Viking about a boy called 'the Dragon Conquerer' and I grew interested on the subject. So I wanted to ask you, if you had heard anything that might give me information."

"Oh, well I'll tell you what I know, but I'm not sure if it will be helpful."

"Go on."

"As you know, my family and I went to visit my father's sister at another island. When we got there, the whole village was whispering about a boy that defeated the Red Death. And that he learned how to control dragons. I heard he is from an island named Berk. And he is probably around your age. Um and that's about it. At least from what I heard. Sorry if it wasn't much help."

"On the contrary, it was really useful. Thanks Haldis."

"No problem. Now, let's get back to the village. I think this is enough wood."

I nodded and we headed back. It was dark when we arrived. We had finished all the tasks that needed to be done and walked home. Once I was home, I went straight up to my room and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke feeling refreshed. I got up and walked downstairs for breakfast. I skipped supper last night and I woke up hungry.

"Good morning sweetie." my mother greeted me.

"Morning, mother."

"Where were you yesterday?"

"I was helping Haldis around the village."

"Ah, okay." she smiled. Probably I was helping the village instead of destroying it.

I ate my stew and helped my mom with the house chores. Then I went out to the village to look for Haldis. I helped her with the jobs she had for that day. And that's how it went for the time I was grounded.

The morning my punishment had ended, I walked out to the docks and stared at the sea.

Then something caught my eye. A ship. But this ship seemed familiar. I then realized who's ship it was. It was Trader Johann's ship. I watched as the boat came nearer nearer. I caught a glimpse of the trader and waved and he waved back. I stood there waiting for about ten minutes, before he came. He pulled out a long wooded board and placed it between his ship and the dock. He walked out and smiled. I shot him back a smile.

"Why, hello Erica. How you been?"

"I've been fine. You?"

"I've been well."

"Trader Johann, I wa-" but before I said anything more, I saw a little boy walk up to his mother.

"Mama, Trader Johann is here. Look," he pointed at the docks and his mother turned around to see what the little boy was babbling about.

When she saw him, she shouted, "Hey everyone. Trader Johann is here." That got everyone's attention. Everyone scurried to their houses and grabbed objects to trade. They rushed down to the docks and started trading. I had to stand off to the side, to make sure I didn't get pushed around. I had to wait a while before everyone had left and I had a chance to talk.

"Trader Johann, do you know anything about 'the Dragon Conquerer'?"

"Ah, you seek information, aye. Well, I'll give 'em to you, in exchange for somethin'."

I searched my pockets, but found nothing, except the pebble that Amund had given to me the day we met. That contained many memories and I couldn't just trade it. Plus, I don't think Trader Johann was looking for a rock.

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing I can exchange."

"What about that necklace?" he pointed at my neck. I looked down at the jewelry I was wearing. It consisted a piece of string that went through, two Scauldron teeth and a seashell between each tooth. It was a simple little necklace, but I had a special connection to it. I don't know why, but I just did. And I didn't want to trade I but I had to. If I wanted answers.

"Alright, you have a deal. But first, you have to answer my questions, then I'll hand it over."

"Sounds fair enough. Now ask away."

"What can you tell me about a boy called 'the Dragon Conquerer'?"

"Well, rumor says that he can control any dragon."

"I know that. But do you know him?"

"Yes, actually. He's name is Hiccup and he lives on an island named Berk. I'd say he is around your age. I visited his island, after I went to Outcast Island and before I came here."

"Can you show me on a map?" I asked.

"Of course." He grabbed the closest map and pointed out Berk. I stared at the map, memorizing the fastest route there. I didn't have anything to trade it for, so the least I could do was memorize it.

"Can you tell me, how it's like over there?"

"Let's see, the Vikings and dragons seem to trust each other very much. They do about everything together. Especially flying."

'Wow.' I thought.

"Thank you, Trader Johann for answering my questions. Here you go." I handed him my necklace and smiled.

"No, thank you, Erica." he smiled and got ready to set off. Before he left he said, "By the way, he doesn't like being called 'the Dragn Conquerer'. He prefers 'Dragon Trainer'."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." I waved him goodbye and watched as he sailed away, Then I dashed home and up to my room. I took out my journal that I kept hidden under my pillow. I flipped to a blank page and drew what I remembered about the map.

That was the moment when I decided to look for 'the Dragon Trainer'.


	10. Getting Ready to Sail

Chapter 10: Getting Ready to Sail

The next morning, I woke up and grabbed my axe from its place on the wall. I sneaked out through the opening on the roof. I didn't want anyone finding out that I planned to leave the island. I sneaked around my house and into the woods. I started looking around for branches to chop down and make my raft.

I needed a mode of transportation and I can't steal a Viking ship or a rowboat. That would cause more suspicion. Also, I don't need something that big. Plus, the other Vikings would need it more for fishing to maintain their families.

So I cut down several branches and placed them together. I needed something to hold them together. And I knew where to get it.

I ran back to the village and to into the Fishing House, where we kept our fish and fishing supplies. I walked around and looked for rope. I spotted it hanging on a hook. I got on the tips of my toes, but I still couldn't reach it. Curse my height. I pushed a crate and climbed on. I grabbed it and sprinted back to where I left my not-finished raft.

Once I arrived, I got straight to work. I fastened each branch with the rope. I cut remaining rope with my dagger I kept hidden in my right boot. I was glad I learned how to make rafts from my dad when I was younger. I stood back and admired my work. The raft was big enough for a grown man. Good thing, I was one-third of that size.

Next, I needed to see if it floated. I pulled it between the trees, onto the beach. I pulled it through the sand and into the water.

"Haha." I smiled when I saw my raft floating. I guided it back to the beach. I looked around the beach, for somewhere to hide my raft. So, I wouldn't need to pull it back through the trees. I saw a cove, several yards away. I walked to the cove and wandered around. I moved around quietly, making sure I wouldn't alert any dragons in there, if there was any. But to my fortunate surprise, no dragons were living there.

I ran back to the beach and started pulling my raft to the cove. It took a great effort but I made it. I sat down next to my raft and rested for a while. I mentally checked a list of what I needed for my journey.

When I was fully rested, I stood up and walked back to where I built my raft. I picked up my axe from where I left it and chopped down a few more branches for the sail. I carried the wood and my axe back to the cove. I started working on the mast for the sail.

I just needed something to be the actual sail. I dashed back to the village and walked into the Ship Shed, where we stored our ship supplies, of course. I glanced around for something to use for my sail. Most of the normal sails were too big. Then, I spotted a small, white cloth, that's used to protect to cargo. I folded it as small as it could be folded and stuck it under my arm. I was walking out and saw two oars. I grabbed them and carried them outside.

I walked out to the docks casually, hoping no one would notice. Or at least they would think I was going out to the docks and helping with the ships or something like that. I walked down to the beach and towards the cove.

I arrived outside the cove and looked around, making sure no one followed me. I walked in, set the oars down, and started to work on the sail. I attached the cloth onto the mast with the rope. Then I attached the sail onto my raft. After I finished, I sat down and checked my imaginary list. I sighed, feeling exhausted but happy.

I grabbed my axe and started heading home. I looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set, causing the sky to glow an orange. A light breeze flew past and ruffled my bangs. A smile escaped my lips and I continued walking home.

By the time I entered the front door, the moon was out. A smell of cooking stew hit me when I entered. My stomach growled and my mouth watered. I then remembered I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I set my axe down, sat at the table, and waited.

"Erica, where have you been all day?" she asked, while setting down a bowl of stew.

"Oh, just enjoying my freedom again." I answered as I picked up the spoon.

"Well, I wouldn't say like that. But I'm glad you're happy. Just remember to not cause anymore mischief, if you don't want your 'freedom' taken away."

"Mhm." I murmured as I gulped down my stew. I gulped it down and went to my bedroom. I placed my axe back on its place on the wall and flopped down on my bed. I pulled out my journal and flipped to the page with the map. I stared at it, thinking how long it would take me. I figured it would take at least five days and at the most a week.

My sister came in a fifteen minutes after I did.

"Where were you?" she asked, her tone firm. "Father and I went looking for you. We couldn't find you anywhere. We were so worried."

"I was out, exploring like I usually do. And you shouldn't have been. I can protect myself, you know?"

"You can't protect yourself from all the dangers out there, you know?"

"Yes, I can." I argued back.

"You're so stubborn sometimes."

"I can live with that."

"You're going to get hurt one of these days. And no one will be there for you."

When she said that, I felt bad for doing that. Also, it made me feel worse, since I was going to make them worry more soon. I almost wanted to tell her everything that I was planning. But I kept my mouth shut.

She said nothing else and left me alone.

I laid in my bed and slowly sleep took over me.


	11. Next Thing On My List

Chapter 11: Next Thing On My List

**Thank you to those who are now following my story. You don't know how happy I am. :D So, here's another chapter for you guys.**

* * *

The next item on my mental list was something to store my food and supplies. I got down on all fours, and grabbed my satchel from under my bed. It looked big enough to hold three fish, but I wouldn't need that much food. I set it down on my bed and opened it. I looked inside and found a couple drawings of flowers, a rock that looked like a comb, a spyglass, and a dagger. I placed the drawings inside my journal and shoved my journal in the satchel.

Now that I had that done, I needed to gather my actual supplies. I hid my satchel back under my bed and walked downstairs. Everyone was getting ready to eat breakfast. I sat down at my usual seat and avoided my father's and Heather's gazes.

I remembered what Heather told my last night and felt guilt tugging at my heart. How her face was full of concern, when she said that.

I tried to ignore the feeling and focused on the bowl of hot porridge in front of me. I grabbed the spoon and gulped down small spoonfuls. Usually I would enjoy eating porridge, but today it was flavorless.

The meal was silent and it seemed to last hours. I continued eating, hoping it would end soon.

Once the long morning meal had finally ended, I walked out to the docks. I sat down at the edge, with my legs daggling over the water, and stared out at the distance. The memory of last night came back, which made me wonder if it was a good idea to go out and try to find someone that might not even exist. Then I remembered about my debate against Amund, whether or not if 'the Dragon Conquerer' was a real person.

I was deep in thought that I didn't hear someone come up behind me.

"Boo," Amund yelled as he shook my shoulders.

"Ahh!" I jumped out of my skin. "Don't do that. You scared me."

"Duh. That was kind of the point." he smirked.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes as I stood up.

"Hey, so Haldis and I are going off to explore a hidden cave, and we were wondering if you wanted to come along. Since you love exploring new places."

"Okay." I nodded. We walked up to the village, where Haldis was holding three axes and a torch, waiting for us.

"Here. You'll need this." she said a she handed us each an axe. "My father let me borrow these, so you better take care of them. Now come on, lets go." We attached the axes on our backs with some rope and followed Haldis throught the trees, until we came up to the side of a mountain. "I'll go first and then I'll hoist you up." She climbed up, making sure her footing was right. Once she got on the ledge, she looked back and shouted, "Who's next?"

I looked at Amund and he said, "You go first."

I nodded and started climbing. I climbed up exactly like Haldis. She held out a hand and hoisted me up. We waited for Amund to climb up and then hoisted him up as well. Haldis lead us to a cave that was hidden with vines. She pulled them aside and walked in. We followed in and looked around.

I saw several scorch marks and hopped there wasn't a dragon in here. As we continued into the cave, we saw fish bones scattered around. I was starting to get the feeling that _there_ was a dragon living here.

We continued deeper into the cave and the number of fish bones scattered around increased. After a few minutes, we came across a sleeping Gronckle. We stopped dead in our tracks and stared at it.

"Let's kill it." whispered Amund. Haldis nodded in agreement.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why? Well, let's see. Their kind kill us."

"Yea, but this one isn't. It's not bothering anyone."

"No, not yet at least. But once it wakes up, it'll fly to the village and attack."

"Yea, but-"

"Let's just kill it, already." Haldis cut in.

Haldis and Amund started tip-toeing towards the sleeping beast. I rushed in front of the two.

"No, don't."

"And why not." asked Amund angrily. He was getting tired of me interrupting.

"Because...uh-"

"See, you don't even know why we shouldn't kill it. Why are you even defending it." They walked past me, and raised their axes. I had no idea why I was defending the sleeping beast. But in the back of my head, I just felt that I had to make sure it wouldn't get hurt. When they were about to strike, I threw a rock, I found on the floor, at the Gronckle. I hit it on the snout and woke up with a start.

The dragon was angry to have been woken up from its nap. Anger shone in its eyes. It let out a roar and started flying towards us with its little wings. It shot fire at me, but luckily, I dodged it.

"Run!" yelled Haldis. We dashed out of the cave, as fast as our legs could carry us.

I was the first on out of the cave. The others came right behind me. We stood on the ledge, looking around for a quick way down. I spotted a long Pine Tree along the side of the mountain.

"Over here!" I shouted as I ran to the tree. The two teenager Vikings saw were I was heading and pushed past me. Great. I help them and they shove me to the side. Amund jumped onto the closest branch to us and helped Haldis climb on.

It was my turn to climb on, when the Gronckle finally flew out of the cave. It looked around to see when we were, and flew as quickly as its tiny wings could carry it. I reached out to grab Amund's hand. I stood as close to the edge and strained my arm, trying to reach them. I only managed to touch his fingers. But I couldn't grab his hand. I had to jump.

The cranky Gronckle was getting closer by the minute. I had to decide fast.

I took the risk and jumped, just as the Gronckle was going to reach me. I reached out to Amund and Haldis, but I didn't jump far enough.

My body crashed down, through the small branches. Then my body crashed against a large branch and pain shot through my body. I gritted my teeth and let out a small moan of pain.

"Are you okay?" shouted Haldis, as I heard them make their way down quickly.

"Yea," I shouted as I struggled to lower myself to the floor. We gathered at the bottom of the tree and started walking home. I fell every once in a while, but got up again. After a while of limping, we made it out to the beach. We continued our way back to the village. We stopped to rest for a while and then continued again.

After a while, I saw the cove where I hid my raft. My eyes widened and I hoped they wouldn't see it. I prayed to the gods, asking for their help.

Amund walked up to the cove and peeked inside.

"Hey, come check this out." Haldis looked at each other and walked over to him. We all looked inside and saw my raft.

'Oh Gods, please help me.' I thought again.

"Cool. Wonder who's it is?" asked Amund.

"I dunno. But we should tell someone about this." suggested Haldis. The two Vikings started walking towards the village.

'Think, Erica. Do something to stall them.' I let out a groan and collapsed on the sand. Haldis heard me and turned around.

"Erica!" she rushed to my side. "Are you alright?" she pushed my bangs out of my face with her thumb.

"Yea," I said weakly. I gave her a small smile.

She smiled back and called out to Amund. "Go get help. I'll stay here." He nodded and was about to run back.

"Wait! I mean I'll be fine. I just need to rest." I slowly got up, to show them I was alright.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Amund.

"Yes," I answered.

It was nice to have friends like them, although I felt guilty I had to lie to them about pretending to faint just to keep them from ruining my plans.

As we walked back to the village, Haldis and Amund talked about the possibilities of the raft being there.

"We should still tell someone about it." argued Haldis.

"We don't _have to_ tell anyone. We just could keep it between us, three." Amund said sheepishly.

"But what if its someone, who is going to take siege over Rogand."

"I seriously don't think someone who's planning to take siege of an island would arrive on a raft."

"You never know."

"No, I think Amund's right Haldis. If someone is planning to take control of an island, they would come on a Viking ship with their troops. Not on a tiny raft."

"Alright. You two proved your point. But I still think we should tell someone."

"No, let's just keep it between us. Please." I begged like a little child.

"Okay, okay. We won't tell anyone."

I gave her a smile, but in my mind, I was grinning like a fool. And doing cartwheels.

The sun was setting, when we reached the village. Amund and I handed the axes back to Haldis. She walked back to her house, while Amund walked me home.

When we reached my house, Amund asked, "Do you want to go back where we found the raft?"

"Nah, I'm tired after what today. Maybe tomorrow, okay."

"Okay." he said and turned around, walking towards his house.

"Hey," I called after him. "You better not sneak off to the cove without me. Promise?"

"I promise."

I smiled as I watched him walk home. Then I leaned against the door and looked down. I felt so guilty for lying to my two closest friends. I thought about what happened today and remembered how I wasn't sure if I should continue with my little plan.

After a while of debating against myself, I decided to continue with my plans.

* * *

My mother was cooking supper, when I entered.

"Hello, mum."

"Hello sweetie. Where were you? You were gone most of the day."

"Sorry, I went exploring with Amund and Haldis."

"Amund and Haldis? Why them? Aren't they a lot older than you?"

"Mom, _everyone's older _than me."

"I suppose you're right about that." She chopped the vegetables, before she asked, "Erica, do you mind helping me with dinner?"

"No, I don't mind." I stood up and walked over to her. I started helping her by cooking fish. Every once in a awhile, I would sneak a fish or some bread.

An hour passed and my mother left me alone, while she went out for some fresh air. I gather the food I hid and set it on the table. In total, I had two smoked fish and several slices of bread. I also had two cups of water. I wrapped the bread in a handkerchief and put corks on my cups. I carried everything up to my bedroom and set it on my bed. I pulled my satchel from under my bed and fitted my supplies inside.

Everything was ready. Now just for the voyage.


	12. A Long Story, Short

Chapter 12: A Long Journey, Short

The rest of the night flew by as usual. Before I knew it, everyone was getting into bed and drifting to dreamland. I laid in bed, waiting for my sister to fall asleep. I watched her toss and turn on the bed across the room from my own. A while passed, before sleep finally took over her.

I climbed out of bed and pulled my satchel over my shoulder as quickly as I could. I placed a letter on my pillow and climbed out.

The letter read:

_Dear family,_

_I'm sorry for my disappearance in the middle of the night. Don't worry about me, I'm not in trouble. I didn't get kidnapped or anything like that. Instead, my curiosity got the better of me. I went to sea, to find someone. I promise I will be back. It's not like I'm running away, because I'm not. I'm sorry to make you worry like this, but I just had to do this. I will see you all soon and I will accept any punishment for my actions. Again I'm very sorry._

_Your daughter,  
Erica_

I dropped to the ground like a ninja. I glanced around to see if anyone was still up. Fortunately, the village was quiet. I dashed into the forest and didn't pause until I reached the cove. I set the oars on the raft and pulled it out. I pushed it into the water and hopped on. I started paddling and caught a glance of a silhouette. I took out the spyglass and saw who it was. It was Amund.

Guilt filled my heart, while tears filled my eyes.

I felt there was a reason I needed to leave quickly, and now I know why.

He was shouting something at me but the waves drowned his words. I only made out a few words. I gave him a small smile, but I doubted he could see it.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I continued rowing, until my arms grew tired. By then, the sun was coming up. I set the paddles down and curled up in a ball. The waves rocked the raft slowly, like a cradle. Instantly, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

My voyage was like others usually go. At the beginning, everything seemed to go perfectly. But, without a warning, the ocean turned into a death trap.

This is how most of my days went:

I would wake up around noon and eat a small meal that consisted of stale bread, a few bite of smoked fish, and some sips of water. It was not the most decent meal, but I had to make sure it lasted.

Then I would lie down and look up at the sky. I would wonder what was occurring back at Rogand. And I would try to entertain myself, until night fall would come.

Once night fell, I would try to read the stars and find out where I was. After I had a pretty good guess of where I could be, I started rowing in the direction of Berk. I would keep rowing, until my arms were about to fall off.

I know it's not the most fun-filled day, but most sea voyages weren't. But in the end, it would be worth it. I felt it in my gut.

Other days, were a lot worse. Sometimes, rain would wake me up or a wave crashing down would soak me. Then I would spend the day shivering and trying to keep warm. Sometimes, the sun's rays would heat me up, but other times the sun wouldn't come up at all.

* * *

About five days of sitting on my butt all day, passed when something turned my boring adventure into a more interesting one.

I woke up one afternoon, the ocean was calm and the sun was shining. My stomach rumbled loudly and I looked through my bag. I took out the second fish and was about to take a bite. I saw the water ripple and paused. That's when something came out of the water. The creature was he. It had a long neck and a pouch hanged from its chin. The pale blue creature stared at me with its golden eyes.

My mouth hung open in shock. 'A Scauldron. Wow.' I thought. I was amazed, but terrified. The beast looked at my, then at the fish I was holding.

"Oh, you want it? Well here you go. I wasn't very hungry anyways." I tossed the fish and the dragon caught it. It gobbled it up then looked at me, pleading for more. "Sorry. I don't have anymore."

Then I did something I wasn't expecting. It came up closer to me, which startled me. I backed up, but I went too far. I splashed into the water. I shot back up and climbed back on the raft. I was soaked and started shivering. I noticed the pale blue dragon had disappeared. I looked all around, but couldn't see it anywhere.

My stomach rumbled again and I remembered I hadn't eaten anything, since the dragon took my fish. I looked in the bag and ate the remaining of the bread. I sighed and laid on my back.

I noticed dark clouds rolling in and the wind started picking up. I got up and put the satchel over my shoulder. I waited for the storm to come, hoping for the best. I huddled next to the sail and held on to the sides of the raft.

The wind was blowing a lot harder and rain poured from the sky. The small ripples in the water turned into waves. They crashed down on my raft, drenching me. I clamped my eyes shut and held my breath. Once the wave crashed, I coughed and gasped for breath. This happened several times, and I was starting to get light-headed. I opened my eyes and thought I saw a island up ahead. I let go of the mast and rubbed my eyes.

That was a huge mistake.

Once I finished rubbing my eyes, a giant wave came crashing down. I didn't have chance to react. Before I knew it, I was tossed into the cold water like a rag doll.

I swam up to the surface and gasped for air. My vision was blurry, but I was sure that wave had destroyed my raft. Now I had to swim the rest of the way or drown.

Up ahead I saw the island, and started to swim toward the shore. It was difficult, since every couple of seconds a wave would push me down. It felt like eternity, before I finally reached the shore.

I crawled onto the beach and coughed out water. I felt so tired and my vision was hazy.

I laid on the sand for about a few minutes, before I heard the flapping of wings. I looked up and saw the outline of a dragon and someone on top of it. The person climbed off and walked over to me.

"Hey, you okay?" the voice said.

"Yea," I responded, my voice hoarse.

"Here, let me help you." I took the stranger's hand and tried to pick myself up. Instead, I fell back down onto the sand. I let out a small groan and tried again.

"Whoa." the stranger gave me extra support, and I was able to stand on my own to feet. He wrapped my arm around his neck and called to someone, "Toothless. Come here, bud."

'Toothless? That was a strange name.' I thought.

My eyelids were getting heavy and I felt like my legs were about to give out any second. The person next to me must have noticed, because they said, "Don't you give up on me."

I gave them a weak smile, before I blacked out.

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**So here's another chapter done. I hope you enjoyed it. :) Okay, I'm done. **


	13. Dragon Trainer?

Chapter 13: Dragon Trainer?

I woke up with a pair of eyes staring at me. I noticed it was a dragon who was staring at me. My eyes widened and yelp escaped my lips. Dragon looked at me with a confused expression and backed away. I quickly sat up and examined the beast.

It had yellow, piercing eyes and dark colored scales. I had never seen a dragon like this before. I wondered what kind of dragon it was.

I heard footsteps and turned around. I saw a boy coming downstairs.

"I see your awake." he said. His voice sounded familiar. Then I remembered it was the voice of the person who saved me out on the beach. So he was the one who helped me.

"Um yea." I said, nervously.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, but a little cold." I answered.

"Wait here." he walked to the back of the house and came back with a blanket. "There. Now tell me what were you doing out in the ocean." He said as he sat down next to me.

"Alright then. Allow my to start from the beginning." I wrapped myself and started describing the event that occur in the forest with the Monstrous Nightmare. I then told him how I overheard the two Vikings talking about a boy who can control dragons, when I went to retrieve my axe with Amund. I continued by telling him how I helped my friend, Haldis, so I could collect information. And how I traded my favorite necklace to Trader Johann for extra information. And I finished my story, by telling him about my "exciting" adventure out in the ocean.

"Wow, you did all of that to look for someone." He paused, before he continued, "You don't know how much I envy you right now."

It was one of those rare moments when I would receive a compliment from someone.

"Thank you...I think." I gave him a small smile and he returned the gesture. "Anyways, can you tell me where I am?"

"Yea, this is Berk." he answered.

'Berk. So I made it.' I thought happily.

"So what's your name." asked the brunette.

"My name is Peb-Erica. My name is Erica." He had a puzzled look and I explained, "Sorry. I'm just used to being called by nickname, "Pebble." But my actual name is Erica."

"Oh. Well my name is Hiccup. I know, not the best name, but not the worst."

"Wait, you're Hiccup?"

"Yes," he said confused. "Why?"

"You're 'the Dragon Trainer'." I shouted.

"Yes, that's me."

"Cool." I squealed. "Wait, so that's your dragon?" I pointed to the dragon, trying to keep my voice cool.

"Yup. His name's Toothless."

"What kind of dragon is he?" I asked.

"He's a Night Fury."

"You mean the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself."

"That's right."

"Wow. Now I envy you." He chuckled at this. "So where's everyone?"

"Well, everyone's waiting for the storm to pass. And my dad went to get Gobber, while I stayed here to see if you woke up."

"How long has he been gone?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"And how long was I out?"

"An hour." he replied.

"Oh, okay."

"So, does anyone know you're here?" Hiccup asked.

"Not really." I said sheepishly as I stared at the floorboards. "Please don't tell anyone, though. I don't want anyone to find out. Promise?" I looked at him, waiting for his response.

"Okay, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks." I smile, happy that he would keep my secret.

Before we could say anything else, two Vikings burst through the door.

"Hiccup, I brought Gobber to see if the see the girl will be okay."

"Um, dad? She's fine, see?" he gestured to me.

"Hello," I waved shyly.

"Oh, I see." responded the Viking who seemed to be Hiccup's dad. They closed the door behind them and walked towards us.

"How are ya feeling?" asked the Viking with a peg leg and a hook for a hand.

"I'm feeling fine."

"Ya sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I confirmed.

"Do you remember your name?"

"My name is Erica." I answered.

"Where are you from, Erica?" asked Hiccup's father.

"I'm from Rogand." I answered.

"So your from one of the peaceful tribes."

"Yes, that's it."

"Hiccup, Gobber, can I speak to you in private?"

"Sure. What is it, Stoick?" They walked away to the side and left me alone. I could hear them whispering, but I couldn't make out the words. I scooted closer to the fire place and felt the fire's heat against my face. The Night Fury walked to me and curled up next to me. I stroked his scales and to my surprise, he purred. I smiled and continued stroking him.

Hiccup sat down next to me. "I see you befriended Toothless already. That's weird, he warmed up to you quickly. He usually doesn't to that."

"Erica, are you hungry?" Gobber asked, before I got to ask Hiccup 'Why?'.

"Ye-" I started, before I was interrupted by the rumbling of my stomach. The smell of the stew made my mouth water.

"I'll take that as a yes." joked Hiccup.

"Yes, please."

Gobber brought me a bowl of stew and I gulped it down hungrily. I felt stares and my cheeks started heating up. "I haven't eaten a decent meal in almost a week."

"That's fine. There's plenty of more. Would you like some more?"

"Sure." I handed the bowl back to Gobber, who filled it up and handed it back.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Erica."

I ate another two bowls of stew before I had my fill. While I ate, Gobber and Stoick took turns asking me questions about myself and my life back at Rogand. After a while, my eyelids felt heavy and I let out a yawn.

"Hiccup, why don't you show Erica where she will be sleeping tonight?"

"Come on Erica." I followed Hiccup upstairs. "Here we are." Hiccup said when we entered a small bedroom. "So you can sleep here." he pointed to the bed.

"Alright. So who's room is this?" I asked.

"Its mine."

"Oh. So, where are you going to sleep?"

"I'm going to sleep downstairs."

"Are you sure? I could sleep downstairs, while you sleep in your own bed."

"No, you're my, I mean you're our guest."

"Okay, if you insist. But only for tonight. Okay?"

"Okay."

"What did your father want to talk about with you and Gobber?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Lies. It was about me, wasn't it?"

"No, no. It wasn't."

"Oh really?" I lifted my eyebrow.

"Alright fine. Yes, the conversation was about you."

"What about me?"

"My dad wasn't sure if he should have allowed you to stay at our house or lock you up. But Gobber assure him, that he had nothing to worry about. He said that your tribe was one of the most peaceful tribes there is, so you must be as well. But then my dad started arguing, like always, that he heard from someone that said your tribe can be very aggressive to people and...to dragons. Then they said other thing that are important."

"You don't anything to worry about. I promise I won't hurt anyone or any dragon while I'm here."

"I know you won't."

"And what your father heard is partially true. Most of us are calm, peaceful people, but others can be aggressive. That's only if we are threaten to, thought." When I said that, I remembered how Amund's younger sister was hurt by a Gronckle during a raid.

"I see. So you only act like that if you have to."

"That's right."

"What's with the satchel?" he pointed at my side.

"I needed something to hold my supplies."

An awkward silence fell between us, before I destroyed it.

"How did you find me?"

"Let's see. I was flying Toothless, when the wind was blowing harder. I noticed clouds moving in. We were flying back to Berk, since we were flying out in the ocean. I thought I saw something, but at the same time I thought I imagined it. The wind was getting stronger, which caused us to fly closer to the water. We flew over you and that's when I saw you lying on the sand. We landed a few yards from you and I mounted off of Toothless. I walked over to you and saw you were still conscious. I tried to help you onto Toothless, but you blacked out. I had to carry you bridal-style onto Toothless. We flew all the way here and my father helped me lay you down on the floor. He ran off to get Gobber, while I stayed here."

"Well, thank you for rescuing me."

"Your welcome, Erica. We get some sleep now."

I nodded and watched Hiccup walk downstairs. I walked over to the bed and sat down. I took off the satchel and set it on the floor. I climbed into Hiccup's bed and it wasn't long before sleep came.

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**Did you like that? I hope you did. **

**Remember to review. Don't be timid. :)**


	14. Berk

Chapter 14: Berk

I woke up the next morning, feeling well rested. For a second, I forgot where I was. Then the memories came back to me. I got out of bed and stretched. I let out a yawn and I rubbed my eyes. I sat down on the bed and looked through my satchel. I took out the rock that was shaped like a comb.

My father carved it for my birthday. He knew my hair was thick, so he carved it out of stone.

I undid my braids and combed my hair. I was starting on the second braid when Hiccup entered.

"You're awake. How'd you sleep?"

"Great, actually." I smiled.

"Good. You hungry?" He asked.

"A little." I replied, as I finished braiding my long, dark hair.

"Come on then." I followed Hiccup downstairs and sat down at the table. "Do you want some of the leftover stew from last night?"

"Sure." I accepted, not really picky on what I ate.

He served me a bowl and placed it down in front of me. "Where's your dad?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"He's taking care of some business at the village. He's the chief, so its kind of his job."

"Let me get this straight. You're dad's the chief?" I said between mouthfuls of stew.

"Yup." he smiled at me.

"And you didn't tell this before. Why?" I asked.

"Sorry, it didn't seem important."

"Yup, because being the chief's son is not a big deal. Do you get any special treatment?"

"No, not really. Before I used to be treated like a nobody."

"That stinks." An awkward silence fell between us. "What are we going to do after I finish eating?" I asked, changing the topic.

"I thought I could show you around Berk. Since you're new here."

"Sounds fun." I said before I gulped down the rest of stew. I helped him clear the table and we walked out to the village.

I followed him, while he showed me around the village. Toothless trailed behind us, the whole tome. I was amazed to see dragons and Vikings working together.

"Hey, Erica." he tapped my shoulder, breaking my trail of thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go see the Training Arena?"

"Sure."

"Great. Toothless, time to go to the arena." he told his dragon. He mounted on the Night Fury, while I watched. "You coming?"

"What? Oh, yea." I hesitated, before I climbed on behind Hiccup. "What am I supposed to hold onto?"

"You can hold onto the saddle, but I wouldn't suggest it."

"Then what do you suggest me to hold onto."

"Me." he said simply.

"Alright." I placed my hands on his shoulders. "I'm trusting you on this."

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

"How do you expect me to _not_ to worry? This is my _first time_ on the back of a dragon. How do you expect me to feel? And you better not. Or I will hurt you, if I survive the fall."

"Thank you for the heads up. Now let's go."

On cue, Toothless spread his wings and took off into the air.

"Woah," I tightened my grip on Hiccup.

"Easy bud." Hiccup whispered to his dragon.

The rest of the ride went smoother. A few minutes passed, before we landed at the entrance.

We climbed off Toothless, while Hiccup greeted everyone. I stood off to side with Toothless.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Hey Hiccup. Who's the girl?' asked a blond boy. He pointed at me and the rest of the group looked at me.

I smiled nervously. This was really awkward. I always had a hard time making friends. I usually like to be alone and didn't know how to act.

Good thing Hiccup saved me before I made a fool of myself.

"Everyone, I would like to meet Erica. She's going to stay here for a while, so she can learn about training dragons."

"Hi," I gave them a small wave.

Hiccup introduced each Viking. He started with a girl who had a thick braid. "Erica meet Astrid. Astrid this is Erica."

"Hello." I gave her a small smile.

"So you're the girl Gobber was babbling about."

I wasn't sure how to response, so I nodded.

Next, Hiccup introduced me to a large boy with blond hair. "Erica this is Fishlegs. Fishlegs, Erica."

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hello, I'm Fishlegs, like Hiccup said. I don't mean to brag, but if you need to know anything about a dragon, I'm your guy."

"I keep that in mind."

"Okay. Erica meet the twins. This is Ruffnut," he gestured at the girl, "and this is Tuffnut." he gestured at the boy, who pointed me out earlier.

"Hey." I waved and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Ruffnut." said the blond girl. "And that's my weakling brother."

"Hey!" shouted Tuffnut. "I'm not the weak one, you are." They continued arguing, while Hiccup led me to someone else.

"Come on, Erica. There's one more person for you to meet." he lead me to a brown-haired boy. "And lastly, Snotlout."

"Hello, I'm the charming, handsome, and strong Snotlout." he gloated, before I had a chance to utter a sound.

Then one of the twins threw something at Snolout.

"Hey!" he shouted while rubbing the back of his head.

The twins snickered and I couldn't help myself from giggling.

"Really?" Hiccup looked at the twins.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here, Erica?" questioned Fishlegs.

"Oh, that's simple. I sailed here."

"By yourself?" asked Astrid.

"Mhm." I nodded.

"Cool. How was it? Did you see any pirates?" asked Tuffnut.

"No, but I did encounter a Scauldron." I told them how I first met up with the beast. I told them everything from giving the dragon my fish to him startling me and making me fall into the water.

"Wow. You befriended the Scauldron, without realizing it." Hiccup said, when I finished talking.

* * *

**So how did you like the chapter? Tell me, I want to know.**

**Don't be shy. :) Haha, okay I'll stop.**


	15. Me, a Dragon Trainer?

Chapter 15: Me, a Dragon Trainer?

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Don't you see? That dragon warmed up to you. You gained it's trust." Hiccup explained.

"What? No, that was nothing." I argued.

"Well, what you call nothing is something."

"You're joking, right?" I asked. Hiccup shook his head no.

I didn't know whether to believe him or not. I mean did I really train a dragon, without realizing it. It all seemed impossible. Unbelievable. Unreal. And all those words with the similar meaning.

"Alright, come on everyone." Hiccup signaled to the others. "You okay?" asked Hiccup when the others left to the skies with their dragons.

"Yea. I'm fine, just thinking about what you said."

"Look, I'm sorry for saying that."

"You don't need to apologize. You were just telling me what really happened. And it actually made a disturbing amount of sense. So I want to thank you."

He gave me a small smile. "Your welcome. So, are you coming along?"

"No, I think I'll stay here."

"Oh, okay then." he walked over to Toothless. "I'll be back to give you a ride back to my house." he said as he mounted on the Night Fury.

"I'll be waiting." I called after him as he took off, trying to catch up to the others.

I sat down on the stone floor and tried to process what Hiccup said. Did I really gain the trust of a Scauldron? Did I really train it? Without realizing it? Yes, I did. Even though, I didn't want to accept it. I did gain the trust of a Scauldron without realizing it. And before actually meeting the 'Dragon Trainer'.

It was empty and I sat there thinking of how it felt to fly a dragon. 'I bet it feels like the best thing on the world.'

Gobber had walked into the arena a few minutes later.

"How come you're not with the others?" he asked.

"I didn't want to bother their training." I lied.

"But I thought you came to Berk to learn how to train dragons. And you won't learn just sitting here."

I smiled at his statement. He was right. I came to learn how to train dragons, not stand off to the sided.

"You're right. I guess I'm just nervous about messing up."

"Well, why don't we start easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I know a few things about training dragons after watching the rest of the kids. Although, I never actually tried to do it myself."

"Oh. Can you teach me?" I asked.

"Of course. Now let's see. First, you have to show the dragon, you mean no harm. Show it that your a friend."

"How do you do that?"

"You throw away any sort of weapon you have. Swords, axes, daggers, and all those other ones."

"I see. Then what do you do?"

"You approach the beast slowly. You put your hand out and touch its snout."

"Wow." I gasped.

"Look here come the others." Gobber pointed out. "I better be on my way. Good luck with the dragon training."

"Thank you, Gobber."

I watched as he left and the others flew in.

"Hey, Erica." Hiccup greeted.

"Hi Hiccup."

"Okay, that's it for today everyone." Hiccup told the rest of the Vikings.

"Yes." cheered Snotlout. With that he flew off on his dragon. The others started leaving as well.

"Ready to head back?" asked Hiccup.

"No, not really."

"How come?"

"Well, I just want to go on a ride on Toothless before we go back."

"Oh okay. I'm sure Toothless would like for a spin before heading home." He walked over to his dragon and climbed on. "You coming?"

I nodded and hopped on. I held onto his shoulders and prepared to take off.

"Okay bud. Let's go." he told his dragon.

Toothless took off on Hiccup's command.

The wind rushed past me, making my hair fly in all directions. I pushed my bangs out of my face and I looked down below. We were really high up in the sky. I felt dizzy and tightened my grip on Hiccup. I hid my face in his back and shut my eyes.

'Dear Thor, what kind of mess have I gotten myself into now?' I thought.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around again. I ignored the height of how high we were and focused on the view. The scenery was beautiful. The sun's rays danced on the waves down below. I looked at the island and saw its forests, lakes, and mountains. Clouds floated above us.

"Wow." I sighed. "It's beautiful."

It was all so amazing. For a second, it all seemed like a dream, a fantasy. But it wasn't, it was all real.

"You enjoying yourself?" Hiccup asked, bursting my bubble.

"Huh? Oh, yea I am."

"Glad to hear it." After a few minutes, Hiccup asked, "Ready to head home now?"

"Yes, I am."

We flew back to Hiccup's house, where his dad was waiting for us.

"Where were you two?"

"We went for a ride." Hiccup answered.

"I see. Well, I have some news for Erica."

"For me?"

"Yes. Hiccup told me how you didn't want to sleep in his bedroom. So Gobber and I built you a temporary room for your stay at Berk. Come let me show you." We followed his dad to the back of the house. We walked into a small room made by curtains. A bed and a small desk were the only furniture in it. "I know it's not much-"

"No, it's fine." I cut in.

"Really?" asked Hiccup.

"Yea. It's not like I need the best things."

"Well, I'm glad you like. I'll let you settle in." he left me and Hiccup alone in the room.

"So you told him about yesterday night?"

"Only to know how comfortable you were."

"Okay."

"Are you sure you're comfortable here."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright. Well, I'll let you rest."

When he left, I laid down on the bed and thought about today. Before I knew it, sleep had taken over me.

The next morning, I got out of bed and noticed no one was here. I walked out to the forge and found Hiccup.

"Hey Hiccup."

"Hi Erica. I see you're awake."

"Yup. What are you working on?"

"Just a little something. It's a surprise."

"Oh, okay. For who?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh, okay." I frowned. "So when are we going to the arena?"

"You're really eager to learn how to train dragons, aren't you?"

"It was what I came for."

"I can't argue with that."

"So are we going?"

"Yea, just hold on a minute."

I nodded. I walked over to the sleeping Night Fury and sat down next to him.

"Hey there sleepyhead." I whispered. Toothless slowly open his eyes and let out a small purr. I stoked his head, while I waited for Hiccup to finish whatever he was doing.

We arrived at the Training Arena, where everyone else was waiting for us. We dismounted and Hiccup greeted everyone. He explained to everyone, what was on the agenda.

I wondered around, taking a closer look of each dragon.

I saw a Zippleback, a Deadly Nadder, a Gronckle, and a Monstrous Nightmare. I froze in my steps.

The memory flashed back. I remembered the fear in my father's eyes and suddenly I felt small. The beast looked at me as if it was reading my mind. It crawled towards me.

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**Another chapter for my wonderful readers. **

**Thanks for the new follows and favorites. I won't disappoint you.**

**Remember to review. :)**


	16. Dragon Reading

Chapter 16: Dragon Reading

**Hey guys. So school started for me. Yay...I guess.  
Anyways, you guys want Erica to own a dragon. Right? So, I want you guys to help me with this part. ****_I_**** had already planned what dragon she should own. But I want to know what ****_you_**** think. Try to convince me.  
Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

The red beast was crawling towards me. I stood still, watching it crawl closer.

I had no idea on what to do. Only one thought came. I had to protect myself. I reached down into my boot. I slipped my dagger out slowly.

Then Gobber's words on to-show-a-dragon-you're-a-friend-not-an-enemy repeated in my mind.

'Right, show it your a friend, not an enemy.' I slipped it back in and stood straight. I took small steps towards the dragon. I still

I heard Tuffnut ask, "Hiccup, what's the new girl doing?"

"What are you talking about, Tuff?" Hiccup turned around and saw me.

"It's okay." I said to the dragon, but it seem like it was more to myself.

I was about an arms length away from the dragon. Once I was a few inches in front of the monster, I hesitated, before I placed my hand on its snout.

I felt his scales and the air it puffed out of its nose. But that's not all I felt, I also felt joy fill my body. I smiled at the dragon and it purred back.

It was weird, how about two weeks ago, one of these kinds of dragons tried to harm me, but now I'm befriending one.

I looked back at the rest of the gang and saw the same thing as when I stood up to the Monstrous Nightmare in the woods. Shocked looks on their faces. There was a weird silence that lasted seconds.

"I see Hookfang likes you." Hiccup was the first to speak up.

I nodded and kept petting Hookfang. He wasn't half bad for a Monstrous Nightmare.

Hiccup came up to me and asked, "How did you do that? First, Toothless and now, Hookfang. You have a really friendly connection with the dragons."

"Thanks?"

"Now that Hookfang likes you, you can take him on rides. With me of course." Snotlout said.

"Um..." I stuttered, not sure what to say.

"Sorry about him." Hiccup apologized. "Anyways, I think you would make a great dragon trainer. So, let's see if that is true. Come on everyone mount up."

Everyone hopped on their own dragon, while I rode with Hiccup. We took off into the skies and did a practice exercise.

* * *

A few hours passed, before everyone went home.

We flew back to Hiccup's house, where I sat by the fire while Hiccup was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" I poked him.

"Nothing," he murmured.

"Oh really? If it was nothing, you wouldn't be...like this." I gestured at him.

"Alright, look. I'm sorry. It's just weird how all the dragons seem to like you. And you don't have to try to be friendly or anything."

"And is this bad?" I asked. I wasn't really sure of what he thought.

"What, no. It's just...unusual. I mean I've never seen anything like it."

"Maybe you should stop trying to figure it out and help me actually learn how to train dragons. Like I came here in the first place." I said, tired of Hiccup's silence.

"You're right. Okay, so you know the basic steps for training a dragon. You showed us that today. So I'll tell you what you need to know about the dragons."

The rest of the night, we spent reading about each dragon. Learning where it lives, what its favorite food is, and all that other stuff. I wrote it down in my journal. Thank the Gods that I brought it, or else I would have to try to memorize it.

Between the learning, Hiccup would ask about my life back at Rogand. I would answer his questions and we would continue studying. I also told him about the talk I had with Gobber about dragon training. He was very pleased with me for remembering what Gobber told me.

It was late at night, and my eyes would struggle to keep open. We had our backs against Toothless's side. The Night Fury had already fallen asleep. I knew that I would pass out soon, but I kept reviewing my notes. Hiccup sat next to me and had already gone to sleepland.

I let out a big yawn and nestled up between Hiccup and Toothless.

I loved their friendship between dragon and boy, and wanted to find a dragon of my own. So we would have a similar friendship.

That was my last thought, before I joined everyone in slumber.

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**All I have to say is remember to review. **


	17. Mischief

Chapter 17: Mischief

**Hey there guys. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

* * *

I wandered out to Berk's beaches. I stared out to the ocean, wondering how my family was doing.

I let out a sigh and continued walking. I was alone, since Hiccup was working on his "something".

I thought about what it might from time to time. He didn't let anyone see it, especially me. Weird.

I came across a forest and walked into it. Trees surrounded me from all sides and I felt safe. It was just like _my _forest, back at Rogand. Except, I wasn't familiar with this one. But that didn't matter, now was a good time to explore it.

I walked past trees and bushes. After a while, I started growing bored. I was ready to head back to the village, when I heard a grunt and an axe being thrown at a defenseless tree. I moved towards the voice, looking for the owner.

It was Astrid. I wanted to walk over to her, but at the same time I didn't.

I decided to let her be, but something caught my attention.

"Who does she think she is? Coming to Berk, showing she is a good dragon trainer, and...agh!" She threw her axe again and wedged it into the tree.

That time, I decided it was best for me to leave. I scurried back to the beach, where I laid on the sand. I closed my eyes and Astrid's voice echoed through my head.

That was all the proof I needed. It was obvious, Astrid wasn't very fond of me. She despised me. And I hadn't done anything wrong.

I let the thought sink into my mind. I knew it was true.

I laid there a while, breathing in the salty air. I heard footsteps, but ignored them.

"Hey, look. Another girl washed up." I heard a boy's voice say.

"No, you dork. It's the same girl." a girl scowled.

"Do you think she's dead? Should we tell Hiccup?"

"Dunno." she shrugged.

"Let's see if she has anything valuable on her."

That's when my eyes shot open. "No!" I yelled. I grabbed the arm and bended it in a weird angle.

"Ahhh!" Tuffnut yelled in pain.

I instantly let go of his arm. "Sorry." I said sheepishly.

I didn't really like anyone touching me, so I had a weird reflex to defend myself. Unless, it was a handshake or a hug. That was acceptable.

On the side, his sister was laughing at him. "That's what you get."

The other twin rubbed his arm. He had a frown on his face.

That was just great. That's another person would also hate me now.

"You okay?" I asked, while I brushed off the sand on my skirt.

"Yea, I'll be fine. After all, I'm the all powerful Tuffnut." he flexed.

His sister pushed him face first into the sand. I couldn't contain it, so I laughed. I know it was mean, but I couldn't help it.

He picked himself up and dusted himself off. Then both of them started arguing.

I stood there, until I got bored and asked, "So, what are you guys up to?"

"Arguing. Isn't it obvious?" Ruffnut answered.

"I can see that, but what I meant was, what are you guys going to do?"

"I don't know." answered Tuffnut. "What are we going to do?" he asked his sister.

"I know. Let's blow stuff up." she had a devilish grin on her face.

"Good idea." he returned the grin.

They starting walking to their dragon, before I stopped them.

"Hey, can I come along?"

"I don't know. What do you think, sis?"

"Are you good at destroying things?"

"I don't know, I guess."

"Alright. You can come."

I followed them and climbed on. We rode to the dock, where they set up some shields as targets.

"Ready, go!" shouted Ruffnut. Her dragon shot the gas, while Tuffnut's sparked it. That caused the shield to blow up. A small explosion resulted.

"Cool." I said in awe.

"Want to try?" offered Ruffnut.

"Sure, why not?" I accepted.

She slid down from her dragon's neck and I climbed on.

"Ready, go!" yelled Ruff.

I pulled on the dragon's head and out came the gas. Tuffnut at the same time lit it.

Another explosion formed.

"Awesome," I murmured.

We continued taking turns and blowing shields up. Every once in a while, the twins would start arguing about whose turn it was. And I would have to break it up.

An hour passed, when Hiccup walked by.

"Hey guys. What you guys doing?"

"Not this question again." groaned Tuff.

"Practicing shooting." I answered.

"Erica? I didn't see you there."

I climbed down and allowed the twins to continue blowing the shields into pieces.

"So you were with the twins all along."

"Pretty much."

"You better not get into any trouble, because that's all that will happen. Especially, when you're with them."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." I said.

"Alright, if you say so." With that he left.

"Hey Erica. Let's go see if there is any other things that need blowing up." Ruffnut said.

I scurried up onto the Zippleback and we took off. After a while of flying around Berk, we couldn't find anything. We decided to fly out to the ocean for a while, until we thought of something to do.

"This is so boring. Why don't we go pull some pranks on Fishlegs." suggested Tuffnut.

"Okay." agreed his sister. We turned around and started flying back to the island.

I saw a little pack of dragons flying towards us.

"Hey, what's that?" I pointed at the group.

"I can't see them clearly." answered Ruffnut.

They were getting closer and noticed it was a group of Terrible Terrors. And they were headed towards us.

I shielded my face and peaked through a little opening. Most of them flew around us, but several of them bumped into us. It was a good thing none of them actually made us fall.

I opened my eyes, when I thought it was over. But, boy was I wrong.

A little, chubbier one flew straight into me. "Whoa!" I lost my balance and fell. I tried to to grab onto something, but didn't have the chance.

The wind rushed past me and the water started coming nearer.

'For the love Thor, I should have probably listened to Hiccup. I am going to get into a huge amount of trouble after this.'

* * *

**So another chapter closer to the end. **

**Anyways, remember to review and help me come up with a dragon for Erica.**


	18. I Want My Own Dragon

Chapter 18: I Want My Own Dragon

I was waiting for the cold ocean water to engulf me. Instead, a couple of claws grabbed my ankles.

My first thought was that the twins' dragon had caught me.

But when I looked up, I saw a different dragon. The beast was a pale blue color, and I knew it wasn't Tuffnut's and Ruffnut's dragon. Or any of the others.

I was starting to worry about whose claws I was in.

I noticed the dragon had a long neck and a pouch hung from its bottom jaw. I looked at its tail, which looked like a fish tail.

That's when the memory hit me. It was the Scauldron I met during my voyage.

I wondered what it was going to do to me. I turned my head, to see where the blue beast was taking me. I saw it flying towards the twins and their dragon. I was hovering above them, when the Scauldron let me go.

"Ahh!" I fell into Ruffnut, which caused both of us to plung into the water.

"What in Thor's name was that for?" she yelled.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to do that."

Tuffnut was still sitting on his dragon, laughing his head off. "Sucks to be you two."

I looked at his sister and saw a gleam of revenge in her eyes. It was like we had the same thought. I nodded and we started swimming towards him. I swam to one side and Ruffnut swam to the other.

She pulled his arm and I pushed him. He fell into the water with a loud splash.

He came out for air and yelled, "Hey!"

This time it was our turn to laugh. We continued splashing each other until we grew cold and flew back to Berk.

* * *

We returned to Berk, our clothes soaking wet. When I entered Hiccup's house, he asked, "What happened to you?"

"Twins," I simply replied. I walked over to the fireplace and sat in front of the small fire burning. Toothless was napping and I stoked his head. He opened his eyes, sleep still lingering, and dozed off again.

"How did it with your 'something'?" I asked.

"What? Oh, it went well. I actually finished."

"When are you going to show me it?"

"Whenever you want."

"Oh. Well, let me just dry off a little and then you can present it to me."

We sat there, talking about how I ended up soaked. It wasn't long before my clothes dried and started walking down to the forge.

Hiccup handed me a small wooden box.

"Go on, open it." he encouraged.

I slowly opened the box, unsure of what to expect. I peeked inside and found a necklace. The necklace was made of a leather string with a dark figure dangling. I looked closely and saw it was a Night Fury. I flipped it around noticing the craftsmanship was amazing. I stared at it in awe for a while.

"You know how you traded your necklace to get here?" Hiccup asked. "Well, I thought that I should give you something in return, after facing all those challenges. D-Do you like it?"

I nodded. "Yes, I really do. Thank you, Hiccup."

"Your welcome. Do you want me to help you put it on?"

"Yea." He took it out of the box and helped me tie it around my neck.

"Thanks again." I said.

"Your welcome, Erica." he smiled.

It was strange, because I hardly do this. I gave Hiccup a hug. I felt him return the gesture. I let go and ruffled his hair. I did this to help me get rid of the awkward feeling. I hardly hug anyone and it was all a new feeling.

I smiled and walked out. The sun was setting and the sky would turn into night soon. I wanted to run, but didn't. Instead, I walked back to Hiccup's house and into my 'temporary' bedroom.

* * *

Everyone was getting ready to do a practice exercise. I stood off to the side, watching, like I normally did.

I still didn't have a dragon, unlike everyone else in the arena.

I watched the others take off into the clouds, while Hiccup waited for me to hop on Toothless.

"You coming?"

"Yea," I walked over to him and the Night Fury. I climbed on and asked, "Hey Hiccup? When do you think I can get my own dragon? I don't want to separate you from the others, since you have to carry me along. I rather ride my own dragon and allow you to do the same."

"Whenever you think you're ready. Why? Do you have a dragon in mind?"

"Yes, actually. But I'll tell you after the training."

* * *

**What do you guys think Erica's dragon will be? The only way to know is to continue reading.**

**Remember to review. :)**


	19. I Got Myself a Dragon

Chapter 19: I Got Myself a Dragon

After an afternoon of doing different exercises with the dragons, we flew back to Hiccup's house.

It was amazing to watch how the other teenagers trained with their own dragon. I loved seeing how humans and beasts worked together. It was a wonderful, unbelievable sight. Something that we probably thought we would never see.

I liked how Hiccup and the rest of the gang allowed me to train with each of their dragons. It was nice for me to learn how to work with different varieties of dragons. But, I still wanted my own dragon. So, I wouldn't have to depend on others.

Once we reached the house, I plopped down in front of the fireplace. I stared at the small fire burning. I heard Hiccup taking off Toothless's saddle, behind me. I heard him walk and sit down next to me.

"You're really attached to the fireplace, aren't you?"

"I suppose you can say that. But, it's just one of those places I go to help me think. Like the beach. I usually stand as close to the water and stare out to sea." I said, smiling and remembering.

"Oh, it's just like when I go to the forge." he looked at me and smiled.

There was that smile again. It was a rare smile. One that you don't usually see on Vikings' faces. Most of the time, we would wear scowls. Or smiles and grins of pride. Sometimes even frowns of sadness, but usually not friendly, tender smiles.

"You know how you told me, you knew what dragon you wanted to train? So, what is it?" he asked.

I leaned closer and whispered the type of dragon in his ear.

"What? Really? You sure?"

"Yes. I'm quite sure."

"Alright, if you say so. We'll go early tomorrow. It's getting dark and we better get some rest."

I nodded and we sat in awkward silence. Even though it was getting darker outside and Hiccup suggested to go to sleep, but neither of us stood up.

"So how did you get the other Vikings of Berk to accept living and training dragons, instead of killing them?" I asked, trying to break the silence between us.

"Well, it's a long story." he started.

He told me everything from shooting Toothless down, in the middle of a dragon raid with a machine he built, to him and Astrid finding out the dragon's nest.

By then, it was late and obviously we were both tired.

"I'll continue tomorrow. But for now, we better hit the hay."

* * *

We have been flying for an hour over the blue ocean water and Hiccup had finished telling me his story a while ago. We were growing bored by the second.

"Are you sure we're close."

"Yes, I'm sure." I answered.

'I think.' I thought. 'I hope.'

Soon after, I heard a loud splash behind us. I turned to see, but saw nothing. I shrugged and turned forward.

Again I heard a splash and felt water on my back. I turned around once more. I saw a pale blue tail.

"Could it be?" I murmured. I kept my eyes on the water.

A couple of minutes passed and nothing happened.

'I guess not.' I thought.

I was adjusting myself on the saddle, when something knocked Toothless out of the sky. We fell down towards the water.

I lost my grip on Hiccups shoulders. The cold water surrounded me. I felt lost. I swam around frantically and got the hold of something scaly. At first, I thought it was Toothless' tail because it was long and thin.

I wrapped my arms around it and felt myself being pulled upward. I gasped for breath as I was lifted out of the ocean. I opened my eyes and saw the 'tail' was a pale blue. I looked up and saw a familiar face.

If dragon's could smile, I'm sure this Scauldron was. I gave him a small, weak smile.

"Erica! Thank the gods, you're okay." he chuckled nervously. "I thought something happened to you."

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

"So, this is the Scauldron you were talking about." he leaned over to pet it. But the dragon let out a growl.

"It's okay." I assured the pale beast. It calmed down a bit and I smiled.

"Let's head back." I told everyone.

* * *

**So, what do you think. Did you like it?  
Sorry to those who wanted Erica to own a different dragon, but didn't get it.**

**Remember to review. :)**

**Also, I wanted to ask something. Do you think its weird that I ship my OC, Erica, with Tuff and not Hiccup like other writers? I just feel something between them. I don't know why, though. I'm weird. :P  
Anyways, I was just wondering what you, as the readers, think.**


	20. Dragon Training

Chapter 20: Dragon Training

I rode into the arena on Toothless with Hiccup.

The first thing I noticed was everyone's expressions. Almost everybody had bored looks on their faces, except Astrid. She was angry. I wouldn't blame her. We were very late.

I slowly climbed off after Hiccup and followed slowly behind him.

Astrid was the first to speak.

"Where, in Thor's name, were you?" glared Astrid. Mostly at Hiccup, though.

"Its not his fault we came late. It was mine. I asked him to help me with something and it took longer than expected." I cut in. I couldn't let him get in trouble for something he didn't do.

"Really? Then what was _so important _that Hiccup had to help you?"

I looked at Hiccup for an answer. I didn't want to spoil the little surprise he planned. He wanted to show what I was capable by introducing the Scauldron. He gave me a quick nod and I turned back to Astrid.

Before I had a chance to utter a sound, Astrid said, "Wait, don't tell me. You two have something going on between you two."

The others looked up at this statement.

"What? No. Where did you get that from?" I felt my face turn a bright red. I assumed Hiccup's face was the same. "This is what he helped me with. Here, let me show you." I ran to the entrance of the training center. "Ready, boy?" I whispered. I lead the pale blue beast into the arena. I was walking backwards, but I could imagine their expressions by their gasps.

"A Scauldron." I heard Fishlegs murmur.

I turned to face the rest of the group. Hiccup shot me a smile and I returned it. I guess he was pleased with the outcome.

Everyone rushed towards me and started asking me questions at the same time.

"Hold up, everyone." Hiccup said. "One at a time."

I answered everyone's questions as best as I could.

"What are you going to name him?" asked Fishlegs. "It's a him, right?"

"Yes, he is. And I don't know yet." I answered.

"Well, he has to have a name. You can't just call him Scauldron for the rest of his life." Astrid replied.

"You're right, Astrid. I just don't know what to name him." I frowned, thinking of possible names for him.

"We'll think of a name for him." Hiccup assured me. "But, now let's hit the skies."

Everyone hopped on their dragon, including myself.

I couldn't help myself from grinning. I had my own dragon now.

We all flew out and raced each other. I had a blast. My Scauldron wasn't as fast as Toothless, but he was still fast. And it was twice as fun.

Then, we did a few trust exercises with the dragons.

When, we returned back to the arena, we discovered my dragon was a young one. It wasn't a baby, but it wasn't fully grown either.

I didn't really mind how old he was. I just wanted him to be happy with me.

Fishlegs told me everything he had read about Scauldrons. Like what they ate and other useful Information. I jotted it down in my journal and thanked him. I was glad I met them.

* * *

The next day, the sun was about to set. I was flying on my 'teenager' Scauldron, Whirlpool (that's the name I decided to give him) over the ocean, after spending the morning with Fishlegs and Snotlout and most of the afternoon with the twins. I found out something weird about myself but that's another story.

I decided to head back to Hiccup's house. I flew over the beach and forest, when I spotted Astrid. I landed to next to where Stormfly was watching her trainer throw an axe at the tree.

"Hey, Astrid." I greeted.

"Hi," she said, without looking at me.

"So you having fun there?" I asked.

Instead of answering, she ignored me.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"What?" she turned around when I said that.

"Do you like me? Because I got the impression you don't. And I want to know why?"

She let out a sigh. "You really want to know why?"

"Yes." I answered, kind of fearing what she had to say.

"Okay then. Let's start from the beginning. First, Gobber talked nonstop about you. Then, you impress everyone by showing you can train dragons. After that, Hiccup starts to show that he likes you." She balled her fists.

"So, you don't like me because I took the spotlight from you?" I asked, unsure. "Or is it because I took Hiccup away from you?"

"A little of both."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that soon."

"How come?" she asked.

"Well, I'm planning to leave soon and Hiccup doesn't like me in the way you think. He likes me as a friend. Even if he did, it wouldn't work out. I would leave, probably never come back, and he would forget me. Plus, he likes someone else." I said. "And I like someone else." I murmured.

It was all true. I liked him, but he probably didn't feel the same way. He probably wouldn't remember me when I left. And he liked Astrid, so there's no chance there.

"Oh." she said.

We sat in silence for a while, which felt like an eternity.

"Look, I'm sorry about how I behaved with you."

"It's ok." I said, giving her a small smile.

"So, how is it over back at your island?"

"Well," I started. I answered her question. Then, we swapped questions, answers, and stories until it grew dark, and I felt like I had someone who understood me. I was glad I worked things out with Astrid.

* * *

**So the truth is out. Wonder what's going to happen next.**

** I hope you enjoyed it, I know I did. Okay, bye guys.**


	21. Getting Ready to Head Back

Chapter 21: Getting Ready to Head Back

The next three days flew by quickly. Each day was basically the same.

I would wake up and eat breakfast. Then, I would take Whirlpool for a ride around Berk. After that, we would fly to the training arena, where the others were getting together. We would do whatever plans Hiccup had in store for us. Once we finished with training, I would go with Astrid, the twins, or Hiccup to see what they were up to. And I would go back to Hiccup's house to rest.

It was all going well, until that third night. I had fallen asleep and was having a nightmare.

I dreamt that I decided to go back to Rogand and my family and friends had forgotten me. They had no memory of who I was. Although, I tried my best to remind them of who I was, it made no difference.

I jolted awake and sweat was rolling down the side of my face. I wanted to weep, but I knew that would make no difference. I had to do something else.

* * *

I had flew out to the beach with my Scauldron, before anyone else woke up. I watched as he swam around in the water, smiling to myself.

I heard flapping behind me and turned around. It was just Hiccup and Toothless.

"Hey, how come you left so early." he asked, as he climbed off the Night Fury.

"I needed to be alone." I answered.

"You're not completely alone, if you brought your dragon."

"I suppose not," I chucked, as I twirled the necklace Hiccup gave me.

"Here," he handed me two fish. "Not sure if you or your dragon ate before you left, so I brought something for you two."

"Thanks," I took the fish. I was going to call Whirlpool over, but I saw he was already catching his food.

A group of Terrible Terrors came landing on the beach at that minute. One looked directly at me and then the fish I had in my hands.

"Here," I threw the fish at the small dragon and watched as it caught it in mid-air. The little green dragon was the same one that knocked me off Ruffnut's Zippleback.

It hopped over to me and I lifted it up to my lap. I stroked the tiny beast's back. It nestled up in my lap and I smiled.

"What were you thinking about?" Hiccup questioned.

The smile faded off my lips and a frown appeared. I explained about the nightmare I had last night. I told him that I needed to head back soon, since I had everything I came for. And much more.

"You want to head back?" he asked, frowning.

"As soon as possible. I don't want to keep my family worried about me." I said sadly.

I really didn't want to, but I had to. If I didn't, my parents would keep stressing out about my disappearance. It was two weeks now, that I had left.

"Alright then. But before you go, I want you to ask you to promise me something."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I want you to promise to write to me, so I can see how you're doing."

"Okay, I promise. Anything else?"

"Actually, yes. Try to visit as soon as you can. But this time, make sure your parents know."

"Okay, I will." I chuckled. "But can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Can you take care of Whirlpool while I'm gone?"

"But how long will you be gone?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." I frowned.

"Why don't you take him with you?"

"What? Hiccup, if I take him with me, the whole village will be after him." I said and looked down at my feet.

"Not if you show them that he is friendly." he said.

I looked up with a confused expression. "Are you suggesting that I, a young Viking girl that no one listens to, try to convince a whole island that dragons are friendly?"

"Yes. I mean you are one of the most bravest girls I have met. You sailed on your own on a small raft. You gained the trust of a Scauldron without realizing it. You protected your father from a Monstrous Nightmare, knowing you would be in a big amount of trouble. I'm sure this is nothing." he smiled.

"Wow, you have that much faith in me, huh?" I chuckled. "I can try." I finally answered.

"Great." he smiled. "Now, let's go tell the others."

* * *

**Another chapter closer to the end. Wow.**

**Heads up, everyone. I'm going to write another fanfiction about Tuff and Erica, when they hung out in the last chapter. I'm not sure when, though. But it will be soon, I'll give you that.**


	22. Going Home

Chapter 22: Going Home

Hiccup and I landed back at the village. We told everyone I was going to head back to Rogand and I got a sad reaction. It made me feel guilty inside, but I assured them I would come back and visit. This made them lighten up a little. We all trained with our dragon for the last time with me.

It wasn't like usually, all fun and games. Instead, it was quiet and quick. It was not a good way to leave the island, remembering the last day was sad.

Soon, it was noon and I thought that I should be leaving. I slipped my satchel over my shoulder and walked out to the docks.

Everyone I had met was waiting for me. I felt like bursting into tears, but that wouldn't help with anything. However, I gave everyone a quick, awkward hug. Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, the twins, Fishlegs, and even Snotlout. I was about to give Hiccup a hug, but he stopped me.

"Not yet. You can give it to me after I drop you off back at your island."

"Wait. Does your dad know?" I asked.

"Yes, he does. Now, let's get going if you want to make it before dark."

I nodded and we climbed on our dragons. We lifted up to the air and started flying.

No one said anything as they saw Hiccup coming along with me. They probably discussed it while I was retrieving my satchel. But it was a good thing as well. Because a group of dragons would create suspicions.

I waved farewell to the others standing on the docks and watched as they disappeared out of view. I was leaving a place where I actually felt welcomed and going back to where I was ignored and pushed around. But I knew I would return someday.

We glided through the air in silence. All you heard was the flapping of wings and the waves crashing.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked, interrupting the silence.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just a little worried about everyone right now."

"Well, don't be. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

"I hope your right." I gave him a small smile.

A while later, Rogand appeared a few miles ahead. We flew to the other side of the island, so no one would see us.

We climbed off and I just stood there looking at the forest that lead to the village.

"Are you sure about this, Erica?" he asked, sensing my sadness.

"Not really," I admitted. "But I have to do this." I walked over to where Hiccup was standing. "So, I guess this is good bye."

"Not if I'm going to see you again." he gave me a weak smile.

"I suppose." I smiled back. "Thank you Hiccup. For everything from saving me on the first day to today, escorting me home."

"It was a pleasure." he smiled.

I giggled and hugged him. I felt a happy warm rush inside me, unlike the warm, fuzzy one you get from someone you like. I gave him a squeeze and let go. I stared into his emerald eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks. "Don't tell anyone about that." I whispered.

'Especially Tuff,' I thought.

He nodded and I started walking into the woods.

"Pebble, wait!" he called. He ran up to me and handed me a folded paper. "Here, don't show that to anyone."

"Okay." I nodded. "Thanks again Hiccup. Until next time." I smiled, tears forming.

I had finally met someone like myself, but like many things in life, it was gone.

"Yes, until next time." he walked over to his Night Fury and hopped on. I watched as he took off into the skies and into the distance.

I started walking back to the village, when I realizes a dragon was behind me.

"Right." I whispered to myself. I thought of a place, where I could hide my friend, but nothing came to mind. Only the cove where I hid my raft. "Come on, Whirlpool. I know where you can stay." I walked to the beach and towards the cove. It was just as I found it. Empty.

I led him inside and whispered, "Okay, Whirlpool. Here's what's going to happen. You are going to stay here, while I find a way to present you to the village. I promise to come every morning to fly you and feed you, although you can do that yourself. Just remember to stay hidden."

I patted his head and walked down to the village. Wondering what awaited me there.

* * *

**So close to the end. What do you think? **


	23. Home

Chapter 23: Home

The sun was starting to set, when I entered the village.

The first person I saw was Amund.

"Erica? Is it you?" he asked, unsure.

I nodded and a smile appeared on his face. He ran up to me and wrapped his arms around my small body. Hugged me tightly that I felt the air escape my lungs.

"Amund," I choked out. "I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." he released his grip and a huge grin appeared. "I can't help it. I'm just so happy you're back. Where did you ran off to? Everyone was worried. Come on, everyone would like to know that you returned."

He dragged me around the village, shouting that I returned. I was embarrassed, but it was nice to receive hugs and welcomes back home. Everyone knew me as a little troublemaker, but it was nice for a change to get warm welcomes for a change.

After we went around the island announcing I had returned, I pulled Amund to the side.

"Amund, thanks for the warm welcome, but what I really want is to go see my family."

"I don't think you will be able to do that." he answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What happened to them?"

I was starting to panic. _What happened to my family? _I needed to know.

"They left the island shortly after you did." he replied.

"What? Why? Where did they go?" I shouted.

"They went out to look for you."

I ran all the way back to my house with Amund shouting behind me. Telling me to wait. I ignored him and burst through the door. I frantically looked around the house, checking every room for them.

I realized he was right. They were gone.

I fell on my knees and started sobbing. Tears flowed and I wiped them away. It was no use. They kept coming.

I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. Instead of pushing them away, I allowed them to touch me. I looked up and saw it was Amund. He held me, making my sob harder.

It was all my fault they were risking their lives to find me. I had to do something, but there was nothing possible for me to bring them back. Only pray to the gods that they would return safely.

* * *

A week had past since I had returned back to Rogand. One week of waiting. Waiting for my family to return. Waiting for the right moment to show the island that dragons were friendly creatures.

Everyday I would go to the cove and feed Whirlpool. Then, I would ride her out to the ocean. I told no one about this, just like the planning to leave to Berk. It relieved my worries for a while.

I wrote to Hiccup and the gang every few days and reread the little note Hiccup gave it to me. It always brought tears to me when I read it. It brought a smile to my face when I read all the little notes the others wrote about me.

I wished I could return to Berk. To see the gang again.

On the on week mark, something happened. I was walking around the village, when I saw a ship was seen sailing towards our island. When the ship arrived at the docks, three people walked onto the dock. I saw it was a man, a woman, and a girl. It was my family.

I ran to them and when they saw me, their faces brightened.

We gave each other hugs. Big, tight hugs. We released each other and walked home. We sat down in front of the fire place and shared stories. By the end, everyone had caught up to what crazy events had happened.

I told them how I learned to train dragons at Berk. My parents told me how they got captured, while Heather explained how she had to lie to them to help our parents. In the end, they found out, but still helped.

The next morning, I received what I was expecting to get.

"Erica, you know you're in a big amount of trouble, right?" my dad said.

"Yes, I know." I nodded. "And I'm willing to pay the consequences."

They decided to ground me for two weeks, but I was fine with that.

I walked up to my room, where Heather was sitting on her bed.

"So what kind of punishment did you get this time?" she asked when I entered our bedroom.

"Two weeks." I answered. "But I'll manage."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I want to introduce you to a friend I made on my adventure." I smiled.

* * *

**So this is where are story ends. Or at least where I think I should end it. I really hope you enjoyed reading it. **

**I know I enjoyed writing it for you.**

**Well, thank you all for reading it. Special ****thanks to those who reviewed. I really appreciated it. And, another special thanks to those who stayed with me from the beginning.**

**Now, I want your opinions. If ****I wrote a sequel to this, would you read it? I just want to know.**

**Until next time. Remember to read my other fanfictions. And remember to review. :) Until next time.**


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